PURCHASES BY N.Z.

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 40, 17 February 1939, Page 11

PURCHASES BY N.Z.

JAPANESE COTTON GOODS

A LANCASHIRE PROTEST

(By Air Mall, from "The Post's" London Representative.)

LONDON, January 26.

In the "Manchester Guardian" of today's date there appears a letter written by a Lancashire cotton manufacturer, who gives his experience of business with New Zealand, This firm requested their representatives in New Zealand to interview the buyers who for many years had taken Lancashire cloths.

One reply received reads: —"We very much regret that we cannot take any interest in this line at present as we find that the Japanese are able to do so very much better for us, and we have therefore bought the Japanese lines against same.";

The correspondent proceeds: "The Board of Trade figures of imports and exports between New Zealand and ourselves show a huge balance in favour of New Zealand which is considerably in excess of her debt payments to us. The superior economic position of New Zealand andy her 'environmental equality' (whatever this might mean) are only made possible because of this benevolent attitude of our Government. To put it bluntly, we are paying for their improved conditions at the expense of our own. The old Free Trade argument that the benefits of tariffs were like the market salesman who had the advantage of standing above his competitors on the orange box is very true in the case of New Zealand. How long are we going to allow her to maintain the favoured position of selling her goods here under the benefits of Empire preference and buying her cotton goods from Japan?

"My experience in trying to sell our Lancashire cloths to New Zealand is very different from the benevolent talk about the 'Old Country' one so often hears and reads. These 'Mother Country' sentiments, I find, usually emanate from those who are interested in selling New Zealand products here under the favourable conditions we allow.

"Surely it is high time we insisted on a fair basis of reciprocity or retaliated by refusing to purchase colonial dairy produce until we get a square deal for cotton." ■ ■ * .