BRITISH TRADING

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 92, 20 April 1939, Page 9

BRITISH TRADING

UPWARD TENDENCY CHECKED

EFFECT OF RECENT EVENTS

SPEECH BY FJBJL PRESIDENT

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.)

(Received April 20, 9.50 a.m.) LONDON, April 19. Mr. Peter Bennett was re-elected president of the Federation of British Industries at the annual meeting. He said that recent events had checked the upward tendency of

trade. In 'the event of aggression the industrialists would rally to the aid of the Government and would not shrink from whatever was necessary to protect liberty. Far-reaching ar-rangements-had been made to enable the continuance of civil industrial life in any emei"gency. The security measures were further advanced than pessimists suggested.

The Federation realised the importance of Empire trade, he said. It was difficult to reconcile the industrial aspirations of the different members of the Commonwealth. They might not be content with the new Indian agreement and they might not like New Zealand's policy, but they realised that the Empire was the world's greatest trading entity and believed it was to the advantage of each part that mutual trade should be developed to the utmost.