“BRITISH GOODS FOR BRITISH PEOPLE.’’

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 30 September 1924, Page 10

“BRITISH GOODS FOR BRITISH PEOPLE.’’

(To the Editor.)

►Sir, — Your interesting article on “The Empire and the World's Trade’’ in your issue of Saturday concludes with an appeal for “loyalty‘to the principle of British Goods for British People” as one of the “best defences aga.ii.st the attack ‘which rivals are preparing to make.” I would like to know iust how iar you consider this loyalty to the principle of British -Goods for British People should be carried. Is it a one-sided principle:' Is it to be Invoked to discourage the act of buy imfrom, say, Germany, but yet not used to discourage selling to Germany? If it is used to discourage selling Lo Germany (and obviously it must if “British Goods for British People” means anything), then we can only assume that those exporters of New Zealand produce who have sold to Germany ami have gained the benefit of high nrices as a result, have been disloyal to th - principle and have “the attack wh’ch rivals are preparing) to make.” We know that during the last year for wh'ch returns are available New Zealand Ims exnorted to Germany goods re i lie value of £1 ,-077,153 (mainlv wool;. Does this denote disloyalty to tfi° principle of “British Goods for British ’-■eoplQ” ? And how are these goods to be paid fo<- without a further fi'er-tvo-'' of the “principle”? The absurdity of enjoining upon Ne*w Zealanders the need for loyalty to the so-called nrinc’nle should he evident to\dl. T’nti 1 Ml attempts to extract reparat’ons from Ge'manv are abandoned ’oyalty in tlm m-in'-ipl ' of “British Goods for lkifish People”? And how' n’-o these goods i/ 1 even we'-e Die #eparntioris ouest.ion dis posed of. it does not fol'ow that w ran afford to sever all commercial inte'-. course with those portions of the world which are as not, to he "British. Trade with the outside wb’dd lias brought Britain and the Empire a«j a whole immense advantages in the nast and will do so in 1h« future in ‘■o far as the wood sense of British people nreveufs 'jfchem from being misWl bv meaningless catchwords s-md) as “Brit’s? Goods fpr’ British People.”—T am. etc-. c/ FREETRADER.