TRADE POLICIES

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 124, 21 November 1935, Page 11

TRADE POLICIES

AUSTRALIA-NEW ZEALAND ' PRESERVATION OF BALANCE Dealing with the subject of Aus-tralia-New Zealand trade, about which there has been considerable discussion this year, Mr. J. Hogg, the retiring president, in his address at the opening of the conference of the New Zealand Manufacturers' Federation today, said that every New Zealander, no doubt, would support closer trade relations with the Commonwealth, but. he 'contended, not at the expense of Great Britain and not on a balance heavily in favour of Australia. Mr: Hogg expressed the opinion that it should be the duty of the New Zealand Government to see that sufficient tariff is placed on Australian imports of manufactured goods for the purpose of (a) preventing the flow of required imports from Great Britain into Australian hands, and (b) providing sufficient protection to New Zealand manufacturers against Australian imported goods. "To this end," said Mr. Hogg, "the Government might well consider the free admission of Australian citrus fruits which our people require, and at the same time impose on imports of manufactured goods a scale of duties higher than that imposed on corresponding imports from the United Kingdom. In this way we could assist Australia with imports which we require and protect Great Britain with her trade on this market. This is rendered the more necessary when it is considered that with freight and exchange taken into account, Australia enjoys a benefit on this market over Great Britain of approximately 15 per cent.

"This contention is based on the belief that while we-should give first preference to our own New Zealand goods we should give second preference to Great Britain, and in this we are probably following the same trade policy as adopted by Australia herself."