The Feilding Star Orona and Kiwitea Counties* Gazette TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 1930. CAN WE TRADE?

Feilding Star, Volume 8, Issue 2668, 26 August 1930, Page 4

The Feilding Star Orona and Kiwitea Counties* Gazette TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 1930. CAN WE TRADE?

With tho tariff barriers raised against New Zealand by the United States and Canada, it becomes an important part of our Department of Industries and Commerce to find fresh fields and pastures new. With commendable enterprise, as though the American and Canadian action had been, anticipated, the depaiflmeut mad© an excellent beginning. In October, 1929, Professor H. Belshaw, of the Auckland University College, visited Japan as one of the New Zea land delegates 'to the Conference of the Institute of Pacific Relations, and in view of New Zealand’s interest in tho question of (the extension of trade with the East, particularly Japan and South China, the opportunity was taken of asking Professor 'Relshaw to make some investigation** into tRe prospects of any such de< velopment. The results of his inquiries are embodied ill a report just issued by tho department in tho hope that it will be of internest and value to a considerable section of the commercial community. A copy of the lengthy document is to hand from Secretary Clinkard, and as Professor Belshaw hats the chair of Economies and is Dean of the Faculty of Commerce, it will be appreciated that hi* findings .and recommendations are anything but academic and his details are emincnUy practical. He found that there are prospects of trade with butter, cheese, condensed and dried milk, beef, lamb and mutton, hams and bacon, apples, tinned goods such as fruit, jam, honey and meat, tallow, hides and leather. The New Zealand investigator came to the conclusion tha'fb the population of Japan will continue to increase for some time. In view of the intensive* methods of food production alreadv adopted and of the relatively small area of waste land capable of effective- utilization, it seems beyond question that Japan wilt require to import increasing quantities of foodstuffs m the future. A great part of these imports consist of commodities such as rice, beans, fish and sugar, in which. New Zealand has no export trade. Rut the- consumption of ani-mal foodstuffs, such as butter. meat and milk, is also increasing. This tendency is closely associated with the process of Europeanisat.oo in consequence of which the Japanese are adopting European food and clothing to an increasing extent. Then the recognition that Japanese diet is deficient in protein a'iso favours New Zealand produce. The present trade' of New Zealand with Japan, Hongkong and South China is very small. If New Zealand were on the same footing as her main, competitors the prospects of bringing about a material increase in the trade in many of .them would be very good, especially in view of the growing- ill dhstrii njl isatijo n. jbf Japan and China, and of the growing tendency to affect European habits in regard to food and clothing. The most serious difficulty is the absence of direct shipping, which not only involves additional transport and handling charges, hut also involves delay and m some eases deterioration or goods through the necessity for tranship ment at Sydney. Cold storage appears to bo adequate to meet nnv needs in the immediate future m centres such as Hongkong, Kobe. Osaka, Yokohama and Tokio. In China and (the interior of Japan col l storage and ref rig e-rat ive transport are inadequate, but the position therd is improving. Summing up. Professor Be’tshaw says: “If New Zealand goods were placed on the same footing as her competitors T believe there would be an immediate increase in sales and tlmf: the ultimate market in. some cases, might he quite appreciable. Although the per cap-ta purchasing power of China is small, yet 'the country is becoming rapidly industrialised in certain centres. The probable effect of this will be an increase in the per capita purchasing power, at any rate of certain districts, and the growth of a. larger class than at present of foremen, office workers and the like with a larger purchasing power. The potentialities opened up by these factors are very great.’’ Here is a job for the Cabinet to tackle while Premier Forbes is on tour.