“POLICIES OF SELF-CONTAINMENT”

Evening Star, Issue 21720, 15 May 1934, Page 9 (Supplement)

“POLICIES OF SELF-CONTAINMENT”

Hr Hutchinson, President of the New Zealand Manufacturers Federation that with New Zealand’s “ threatened restriction of her overseas markets it

becomes essential to develop her internal market.” Larger cities and towns are necessary to absorb our country’s produce.

to face what would happen if cheap jveaseas goods were allowed free mtry to our ports. All other countries are developug policies of self-containment and dtention to their own people’s volfare. Vast changes of policy n'c ■ taking place. England—good old conservative England—brought ,ip ou Erectrado principles, or, :ather, lack of principles, has adopted a definite policy of Protection. European countries and the British dominions are doing the same thing. New Zealand, with the same problems as they have on ,i smaller scale, will he forced by inexorable circumstances to do so, too. She has an additional problem, however, in having developed her agricultural side beyond the powers of the United Kingdom markets to absorb her produce at paying prices. With a threatened restriction of the overseas markets it becomes essential to develop her internal market. This means a growth of the cities and towns. A growth of largely self-con-tained cities is, after all, the best solution of our financial and economic problems. Cities in this new country can be made beautiful and

healthy, and give all classes the opportunity of getting the best possible out of life. Headers of the ‘ Evening Star ’ may ask “ What has all this to do with Shopping Week?” It has everything to do with it. The shopkeepers who buy from New Zealand factories and sell to the public are releasing money which will in turn be spent in their own shops. The worker’s wife who buys New Zealand-made goods is keeping her husband and sons and daughters in a job. The professional man and property owner who buys New Zealand-made goods is providing the money which will bo used to pay his fees and rents. Without the money paid in factory wages circulation would dry up. We should be reduced to living by “taking in each other’s washing,” or upon the small amount which would como from the country after the farmer had spent his earnings upon imported goods and after rates and taxation had been met. So all success to Dunedin’s New Zealand Shopping Week, and prosperity to all business, both in town and country.