POST-WAR TRADE

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 May 1944, Page 5

POST-WAR TRADE

EXPANSION OF EXPORTS LORD WOOLTON'S CONFIDENCE RUGBY, May 16. A new outline of Britain’s postwar aims and plans was given by Lord Woolton in the Lords. He said the question of economic and monetary policy could only be decided by the War Cabinet in the presence of the head of the Government of the day, and added! “I would do"everything I could to reserve the head of Ihe Government from having at this moment to deal with the highly controversial problems. Plans for great military operations are occupying the attention of the Prime Minister and the War Cabinet. They are being pursued with great vigour and fortunately with all signs of success. It is on these martial issues that our future economic life will depend. We have learned that, if we are to preserve peace in future, we must prepare for war.” Lord Woolton said that Britain's plans for full employment must include the Empire and the world. “To get all the good things we wanted, our expansionist policy must have the full co-operation of the manufacturer. Our social and economic stability depends upon whether we can get trade moving in and from Britain to other countries in sufficient volume. We are all committed to the policy of full employment, which means something more than full employment in Britain. It means full employment over wide areas throughout the Empire, and greater areas than that. “I believe it is through an expansionist policy that we shall get the very great benefits for which we are looking in the future. The Government is working in concert with the Commonwealth and foreign countries to establish world conditions favourable to the expansion of our export trade. We believe other countries are recognising the importance of our having a large export trade.'We shall not be able to afford all those good things for which we are looking unless we earn them. We shall not be able to earn them unless the manufacturers by their skill, enterprise, and application of all the scientific knowledge which they so fully used in the war for the preparation of weapons, use them' for commodities that go to fulfilling the needs of the people in peace. If they use that scientific Knowledge with the same eagerness we shall get that large increase in export trade on which the whole policy of full employment will depend.” Lord Woolton made it clear that the present position regarding Imperial preference would not be en-> dangered.