TRADE IN THE EAST

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 61, 12 March 1936, Page 10

TRADE IN THE EAST

DEPEESSIOX'S EFFECTS 4

JAPANESE PENETRATION

Trade experiences in the East, where he was for three years prior to taking eight months' holiday before coming to New Zealand as managing director of, General Motors, formed the main subject of an interview which Mr. G. C. Seers gave to a "Post" representative today.

The depression had affected the Dutch East Indies, British Malaya, and Sia-rn (the countries with which he had chiefly been concerned) just as much as it had the rest of the world, said Mr. Seers. Java had probably been the slowest of all countries to recover, and in fact it was only quite recently that signs of recovery there were at all evident. Java was an exporting country, and its wealth depended almost entirely upon exports. When prices of sugar and rice began to rise, recovery set in. The tin and Tubber restrictions' had also helped the Dutch East Indies in the process of recovery rather more than they had helped Malaya. Being still on the gold standard, the Dutch East Indies were at a disadvantage compared with some 'of their neighbours. In Java, however,: the outlook was improving. "The state of the rubber market depends largely on that of the motor industry in the United States and elsewhere," remarked Mr. Seers, "and while the motor industry is flourishing as it is at present, there is not much about, which to worry as far as. rubber is concerned." Siam, he said, depended largely upon the export of rice and, timber.. Recently China had put a large tax on imported rice, which had hit Siam rather hard. Besides which, Siam during the last few years had been politically unstable. However, these two things were improving and tin mines were doing better. While the depression was on there was not much buying of motor-cars, for there was not the money available. ' The lack good roads in Siam prevented the motor-car being popular, but the other countries, like Java, had .wonderful r°Mr.'Seers said that the footing which the Japanese had got in the trade with the native millions was amazing. Piece goods of all kinds, toilet articles, etc., were sold at prices which had forced old-established British firms, some of which had been trading there for close on a hundred years, to put up their shutters. The Japanese peaceful penetration was an accomplished fact- and very thorough. "Of New Zealand as yet I can, of course, say nothing," remarked Mr. Seers in conclusion, "except that I am prepared to like it. My position naturally causes me to take a keen interest in the proposed Labour legislation: a 40-hour weeki for instance, must affect our works. But I don't suppose that New Zealand has gone half as 'red as some would like to make out, and with a little give and take on each side I do not see why, once the difficulties of transition are overcome, things should not work quite smoothly.