TRADE WITH JAPAN

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 120, 17 November 1937, Page 14

TRADE WITH JAPAN

EFFECT OF CONFLICT

COMMERCIAL VIEW

SHOULD NOT TAKE SIDES

The effect which the Sino-Japanese cqnflict is likely to have on trade between New Zealand and Japan gave rise to a brief discussion at last night's meeting of the council of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. The consensus of opinion was that the chamber should not take sides in such a matter, and the discussion dropped without any motion being carried. The matter was introduced by the reading of the following cablegram, received by Messrs. Wright, Stephenson and Co., Ltd., from Mr. Kenji Kodama, president of the Japanese Foreign Trade Federation.

Deeply concerned ov.er unfriendly feeling against Japan caused by China propa^nda.1 :Mutually beneficial to avoid any impediments to our ever-increasing commercial relations. Kindly request your members not to allow themselves to be misled by one-sided reports which are generally exaggerated or entirely false. Inhuman attack by Japanese aeroplanes, submarining of innocent non-combatants is'groundless. Moreover, in present conflict Japan has no territorial ambition in China, but wants latter's co-opera-tion. Unnecessary hindrance to our commerce caused unusual anti-Jap-anese activities.

Mr. J. T. Martin said that possibly other companies had had similar cablegrams. What was concerning the Japanese was that. anti-Japanese propaganda might lead to some form of boycott. The only prohibition on trade at present was in respect of scrap iron, and although the quantities sent from New Zealand were not large a number of contacts had been set up. Business people in New Zealand were very concerned about trade with Japan. Japan was not an enemy country, and anything New Zealand did could not possibly affect Japanese policy^ The primary producers were also concerned about Japanese trade with the Dominion. Last year Japan took a large quantity of wool and was aiming to take 50,000 bales this year. Japan also took a large quantity of casein. In addition there was now a .monthly service between New Zealand and Japan and it was essential that that service should be maintained. He agreed that they should do everything possible to prevent the dissemination of anti-Japanese propaganda in New Zealand. It was maintained that much of the Chinese propaganda appearing in! the newspapers was false. ■

THE BRUSSELS CONFERENCE.

Mr. R. W. Bothamley said the sentiments expressed by Mr. Martin were not shared by the representatives of about fifty nations meeting at Brussels. "In" my opinion," said Mr. Bothamley, "the farmers of New Zealand would be selling their wool very dearly by getting a few extra pence a pound. I would rather take half the price and give Japan a knock-back."1

Mr. Martin: That's a most extraordinary statement coming from a farmers' representative. ■...-■'

Mr. M. G. C. McCaul: I hope moral issues will always stand higher than material issues at this table.

Mr. S. Cory-Wright said that "there should be no attempt to take sides in the chamber. He quite appreciated the sentiments expressed by Mr. Martin, but he thought they should be careful not to do anything that would imply that they were condoning Japan's action. The fault was that Japan was engaged in a war of aggression, whether it was large or small. New, Zealand, he suggested, should adopt a strictly neutral attitude.

The chairman (Mr. A. J. Curtis) said the question was a controversial one, and he did "not know whether they would do any good by discussing it. There was no doubt that Japan had entered into an aggressive campaign' against the Chinese., The chamber could not take sides.

Mr. McCaul said that the prohibition' on the' export of scrap-iron had come as a god-send to those engaged in the trade in New Zealand as they were unable to get supplies from overseas. The. trade had been seriously embarrassed by the shortage of pigiron.

The discussion lapsed,