REPLY TO MR. POLSON

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 35, 10 August 1934, Page 8

REPLY TO MR. POLSON

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —j^jr. Poison's debating tactics aro remarkable. I quoted 'verbatim a market report published in tho British "Ironmonger" of April 22, 1933. Mr. Poison was informed of the correct date and also the exact words of the repoi't; for I had myself, just .previously, at Mr. Poison's own direct request, sup' plied him with a copy of a publication giving tho quotation, tho reference, and tho dato. Once more I gave the exact dato and the exact .quotation in my last letter which appeared in. your columns. In spite of all this, Mr. Poison still pretonds to bo unable to understand plain English or to identify the report. May I bo allowed, therefore, to repeat that tho report is to bo found on page 73 of tho British "Ironmonger" of April 22,, 1933. The exact words are (could you" print them very plainly?): "The British makers continue to quote £10 10s (f.o.b*) for other markets, and £11 (f.0.b.) for New Zealand, for 24-gauge corrugated iron in bundles." \ ... ■

Surely nothing could bo plainer than this. The British manufacturers are definitely recorded as charging New Zealand for corrugated iron 10s a ton more than any other country in the world. Definitely I say also that I hold documentary proof that this prieo difference was still being maintained as late as three months ago; and those documents are available for inspection by the Government.

Next I must expose Mr. Poison's dosperato attempt to throw another smoke screen across the facts. In his last letter he says that I must have been confused between iron shipped in "bundles" and iron shipped in "orates." This he charitably attributes to my never haying had business experience. Unfortunately for Mr. Poison, however, the market report itself (which I havo quoted above), explicitly states that both quotations are for corrugated iron "in bundles." What can Mr. Poison say to that?.

To drive this nail finally home, may I say that the New Zealand representatives of the British manufacturers of corrugated iron havo recently publicly admitted that my quotation from that market report was correct. They stated: "The quotation is accurate, but the inference is incorrect." Then, driven into a desperato corner to excuse the higher price charged to New Zealand, they actually hit upon this—that the quality of galvanised iron supplied to New Zealand is higher' than that supplied to any other country in the world. Is it not marvellous? Thuy actually suggested that Britain makes two grades of corrugated iron for export—~one, an inferior ono, for all'the other markets of the world, including Ireland, Denmark, Norway, _ and South Africa; and another, a special, superior grade of iron for New Zealand alone. I have no reason to believe that they wero joking. ■ Here is another explanation: and I Inave it to your roaders to decide whether it is a reasonable one. Since 1928 we have had no duty on British corrugated iron, but a duty of 20 -percent, on foreign. This has given the British manufacturers a virtual monopoly of this market; and they havo been able to charge what prices they liked by reason of their 20 per cent, preferonco over foreign countries, Iv almost; every other market they have been obliged to meet foreign competition. In South Africa, for instance, although British iron sheets arc dutyfri'i:, Ihn duty on the. foreign iron is only 3 per cent. Thus they havo been forced to sell corrugated iron .in. South

Africa and every other country at 10s a ton, less than the price they have been able to charge to New Zealand.

This 10s a ton is part of the price .■that we have had to pay, month by month, year after year, for having destroyed " our own domestic . industry through the' abolition of the protective tariff, and (b) having given Britain a preference of 20 per cent, and virtually a monopoly of our market. If Mr. Poison sincerely desires to serve tho interests of the farmers, instead of trying to excuse or obscure theso facts, he should now bo demanding a public inquiry into the whole matter. Meanwhile it contents me to cits this case as one of the scores of ways in which 'Tree Trado" exploits the public—l am, etc., • - ■

A. E. MANDEK, N.Z. Manufacturers' Federation