“BUY BRITISH"

Gisborne Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 10908, 28 May 1929, Page 4

“BUY BRITISH"

AIK, LAMBIE ADDRESSES

RUTARY CLUB

STRONG APPEAL ON BEHALF OF INTEK-EMPIKE TRADE.

SIGNIFICANT STATISTICS

A’.comprehensive survey -of the Mother Country’s industrial position ; an outline of-the wonderful efforts site is making to recover, ; lost trade and extend her marketing system generally; and a strong appeal m favor of the policy of making purchases within the Empire formed the theme of a most interesting and .most instructive address to members of the Rotary Club and their visitors yesterday by Air. W. D. Lambic,Deputy British Trade Commissioner m New Zealand. ,

' introduced by Kotaruui President \\ . Hamilton Irvine, Mr. Lambic was given a very cordial reception, lie prefaced lijs remarks by stating that, on the previous day he had had the pleasure of visiting a sheep station a little way up the Coast and had been greatly impressed with the manitold evidences of productiveness and of prosperity on every band. The scene was typical of what was to be seen in every portion of the Dominion and spoke volumes in respect of the great future which New Zealanders might, with every confidence, look forward to. The more lie saw of the Dominion, indeed, the nunc he was impressed with what a great buying field this young couniry should be for British and for other Empire manufactures. W hat was needed was a policy of inter-Empire self-help in a much greater measure. 1‘ I'oin the days of the passing of the Corn ’Laws, as they would all know Britain had developed into a great industrial nation and to-day she was dependent on a high export trade in order to feed her people. That meant that she required to be a gigantic importer as well as a gigantic exporter. If her manufactures tel! in volume it would mean that she must languish, .with the result that either her people would become impoverished or she would find that her population would dwindle. This was an important matter also so Lit as her Dominions were concerned for the reason that if Britain could not make heavy purchases of their produce at reasonably high prices they, too. would languish. BRITISH INDUSTRIES SINCE THE WAR. Air. Lambic went on to review Britain's industrial conditions dining the ten yours Unit bad eldpseil since the close oi ihe war. lie was. lie said, proud to say that she was emerging' triumphant from the heavy burden of difficulties that had had to be turowu olf. It might, oi c.< urse, lake a whole generation before she tally recovered, but there was no question . that her industrial p< sition was continuing to improve rapidly.* Perhaps it was not easy for people at this great distance to appreciate fully what a great struggle hail had to be endured in -the Motherland. Not only had she had to face the very heavy burden in connection with debt payment to the I uited States, but her domestic taxation had been .high and her unemployed running up to 1,600.000 bad also been a dead weight. Before the •war Britain's national clel.it—and it was then considered very high—was only one twelfth of what it .proved after tlm Lit nine struggle. As they all were a warp. Britain had. m particular, sullcred very appreciably on account on her great .coal trade languishing. Her iron and steel trade had also been very adversely affected. It was pleasing to note, however, that a slight recovery in respect of those trades was now being experienced, nlmt bad, however, helped the Motherland in Hie . meantime was the development of new industries. Britain, to-day, he was proud to say. had become the greatest manufacturlHir country in the world m regard to electrical equipment. In .the matter of motor-ear production, the United States still led. but Britain had become the second largest manufacturing country for the motor trade. In 1623, she had manufactured 66.000 cars and. four years later the total Imd risen to 167,000. Progress in that direction had no* since been at such a great rate, but it was again becoming pronounced. Tile film business, bad, too. been greatly stimulated in recent years aim promised to become quite an important industry Then, again, as was well known m the draperv trade m tins Dominion. Britain had made great strides in relation to Die artificial silk industry and most of the artificial silk-imported.into Now Zealand came from the Motherland. Industries in Britain were now being considerably benefit ted by a system of derating as far as they wcr,. concerned.

INCIDENCE OF BRITISH TBADE. Proceeding. Air. Gamble gave, interesting particulars coneern’ng tile heavy burden which defence expenditure (constituted at Home. The cost of Imperial defence in Britain was A 1 s Id per capita, whilst Australia contributed at the rate of 2?s 2d .per head : • New Zealand 12s Lid: Canada 0s Kid; and South Africa 2s 6d. It was pleasing to ihc people at Home to find that New Zealand was willing to provide a somewhat higher quota. In the circa instances, it was not surprising that the purchasing power of • the people of Britain had declined as a result of the war. Other nations had, of course, had a. similar experience. What might not, however, be widely realised was that one effect, ■•if the wav had been an increase in manufacturing in many foreign nations. As a result of new industries arising in foreign countries, Britain had lost a lot of her former trade, i Vi liat was aiding Germany to regain her former position as a heavy exporting country was thy Comparative cheapness of labor when compared with the scale of wages paid in Britain. in some figures which he had come across, the German average wage for a A I hour week was 37s Gd, .whilst, the average in Britain for a : 44 hour week was ASs Sd. That might uot.be the exaci position to-day, but as far as lie knew the'German wage; worked out at about two thirds of the wage paid in Britain. They all knew, how strong a rival of Britain tlu; United States had become since the war. In 1913 the United States supplied New Zealand with Hi per cent, of her requirements and last year the ratio was IS per cent. AVliat was assisting Britain greatly to reestablish her industries was the improved understanding between Capital and Labor. .Both were now more, .prepared to ~m ake- sacrifices and to share ip benefits,?.'lie instanced the decision of-the railwuymen vi ho, when the need to reduce wages came, agreed, from the general managers down, to a veductioii' of 5 per cent in their wages. t Britain was now drawing, more, heavily ■ from with in the Empire . in' respect of lief re- ; quirements. in. 1928 her , exports • from within the Empire had, totalled . .27.02 per* cent, of her needs as against 26.87 in. 1927 and 24.87. in 1913.. From New Zealaud Britain last,year drew 4.11 per cent, of her. imports, as compared with 3.96 in 1927 and 2.6-1 per cent, in 1913. Today New Zealand was one. of -Bri-l tain’s largest suppliers. On the other hand. Britain’s exports within the! Empire in 192 S had totalled 41.95' per . cent, of - the aggregate, slightly) less than in 1927, when the figure* was 42.50 per cent, hut considerably; abend of 1913 when..the ratio . was), 37.18. New - Zealand , consumed : '2;Bl’

N per cent, of the total in' 1928, . '.or rather less than in 192.7, when the ratio was 2.91 per cenh. but a substantial increase over the figure of 2.06 in 1913. New Zealandshad sold 88.17 of her exports within the Empire last year, as against "84.10 per cent, in 1927. but the ratio for the March quarter of this year had fallen slightly to 84.36: This" Dominion’s imports from, within the Empire in 1928 represented 68.64 of . her needs, which was a _ heavier ratio titan in 1926 and 1°27 but less than in 1924 imd 1926 when the ratio was as high as" 72 to 73 pel' cent. For the March quarter oi this year, the figure was 05.70 l«a cent. New Zealand’s trade with Britain had grown in recent .veais. l'or the March ■ quarter of this year, the Dominion had sent 75 per cent of hop produce to the United Kingdom, whilst ihe figure for 1927 was 72.09 per. cent. This year there had been a slight decrease in New Zealand’s imports from Britain. For the-March quarter the figure was 46.41, as against 47.43 in 1928 and , 47.93. in 1927 and 4-5.76 in 1926. In the first half of 1928 the figure was 46.33 per cent, and for the second half ,48.41 l>er cent. It required to be pointed out however, that during the first quarter of this year there had been importations of motor cars from North America on an abnormal scale.

BURK UF BRITISH TRADE DEPARTMENT. Air. Lambic went on to give an outline of the duties carried out by the representatives of, .the Department to which he belonged in the Dominions and foreign countries. Ho said that appointments to the Deparment’s staff to-da.v were not made in a haphazard manner. In the past there had been a tendency to take an applicant for a position on Ins face value. To-day the imparl meat demanded that .an .appointee should have qualifications which would enable him to obtain the best results. There was a tremendous amount of., detail work to be transacted. As part of • their work the officials sent Home details of contracts. On the other hand, they advised Home firms as to the suitableness of applicants abroad, to handle agencies'. In sonic cases representatives of British firms were sent out io look into the conditions themselves and lie was glad to note that the practice of principals or linns touring abroad on business was extending. Every three years or so officials of the Department to which he was attached went Home for a business trip. Un his last visit bis chief, Air. Beale, had delivered -500 addresses and visited over 300 works, it so happened that now and again an overseas firm made a complaint that details of an order had not bfen attended to properly and inquiries were set on toot. Unfortunately, sometimes a complaint was well founded, but he trusted that, in future, such complaints would he few and far between. He did not claim that his Department acted as a debt collecting agency, but it was sometimes able to smooth out financial differences that arose. The Home manufacturers, had nothing to learn m the matter of producing goods. Where they had las’ll behind hand Ui the past was that they hud lacked in pushful methods in relation to salesmanship. All this was now being changed, for exports were at work investigating what deficiencies had to be remedied. \\ liai could be confidently said was that Britain would soon once again become easily pre-eminent in respect of manufa'tures. The British Industries Fair, which was held twice a year—once in London and on the other occasion in Birmingham—was, unquestionable. Hie greatest trade exhibition in the whole world. There visitors could see the best of all the manufactures of tho Homeland and ii was significant that representatives- of as many as sixty countries .sent representatives to each Fair. In conclusion. Air. Lambic said that the appeal .io Britishers overseas w».s. of course, founded on more _ than tlm fact' that Britain could not be surpassed as a manufacturing country, lie might, for instance, remind them tliat it was their duty to patronise British goods because, the Homeland was their own best customer Mr their own products. (In the same wav they should study, what other British countries had to offer.) Then, ftgoiii. they should not forget that British goods were manufactured by their own kith and kin. What was more the young British lands shared with the Mother Country her glorious traditions.

Un resuming lus sea 1 , Mr. Lambic was very heartily applauded and on the motion of Rotarian T. Corson, lie was accorded a very generous vide of thanks.