The Hutt News THURSDAY NOVEMBER 20, '1930. DOMINION MADE.

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 26, 20 November 1930, Page 7

The Hutt News THURSDAY NOVEMBER 20, '1930. DOMINION MADE.

The discussion reported fairly Jolly in our last issue on the re•eommendation of the Borough Engineer, endorsed by the Works 'Committee, that pipes required fot|*aie extension of the water spippy 5n tile °^ "W&nmi Road is worthy of more than merely passing record. On the ground of -additional cost, the Council was recommended to purchase pipes from overseas. It was admitted, that the increased cost of the ■pipes was practically negligible, btrt owing to a difference in lengths it was stated that the cost rof laying the pipes would be an extra £7. But obviously this extra small sum would be expended m labour, to that extent anyhow .assisting to alleviate the present unemployment difficulty. Every patriotic citizen will be glad to note that the recommendation of the Engineer, put in the form of ~a motion by the chairman of the Works Committee was xmaniniously rejected by the Council, and the curious 'fact of the members of that committee, including its chairman, being* obliged on com-mon-sense grounds Ibo vote against their own motion leads one to wonder on how many previous oc•easions similar ill-digested resolur tions might have ben rejected had the full facts ben discussed in open Council meeting. Reluctantly the conclusion is forced on the minds of the ratepayers that had it not been for the vigilence one of the Councillors who happens to be especially interested in the question of New Zealand-made goods, the report and recommendations of the Works Committee would have (as is usually the «ase) slid through, and been; adopted without comment. A question as to whether this (the question of the purchase of New Zealand made goods) was to be regarded as a test elicited from the Mayor only a smiling reference t© the duration of the term of offiees\pf the present councillors. ■But the question was distinctly Ipertinent, and we are of opinion ■that an overwhelming majority of ■the ratepayers would welcome, the (adoption oy the Council of a resolution, similar to that passed by a large proportion of local governing bodies throughout the Dominion, to the effect that absolute preference is in future to be given to goods of British manufacture, and wherever possible further preference is to be given to articles of New Zealand manufacture. After the disclosures at the last council meeting-on this subject, there is little doubt that if .such a resolution were proposed during the life of the present Council if would receive unanimous support, and. further it would be a help to those who may in future be elected to guide the destinies of this district. And with such a resolution recorded; for their future guidance, any member of the "Works Or other committee would hesitate before attempting to bring down a similar report to that which evoked so brisk and to-the-point discussion as recently took place. ■While our own country is in the ■throes of so severe an unemployIment problem as is now the case lit is manifest that every effort Bahpuld be put forth to find emHploymeiit for our own people ■first, and while, as in the case pre■sently under review there is a pos■sibility of doing this, any proposition to send money and thereby ■employment out of the Dominion, ■even to, our own Mother Country, (should be scouted as bad and yici■ous. In the above mentioned case ■it was admitted by the Engineer ■that the question of cost was the ■only ground for the recommenda■tion, the quality of the two arti■cles, New Zealand and imported, Hwbuld appear to Ire practically the ■same. But in the <>ne caee ■money is sent out of the country,

never to return, whilst in the other the price is expended in digging iron ore from out of the ground within a few miles from us, by New Zealand workmen, by whom also it is smelted arid manufactured and sent in. a ship manned by a New Zealand crew to a foundry- working within our borough. It thus provides local employment in laying the pipes in position by some of our local men who are unfortunate enough just at present to be out of Work. On the face of the above facts it would be a rash man who would have the temerity to • give preference to ■ the imported over the New Zealand produced article simply on the ground that the expense involved was a small percentage higher.