ENGLAND OF TO-DAY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXII, Issue 2517, 22 December 1927, Page 5

ENGLAND OF TO-DAY.

CITIES OVERCROWDED.

IMPROVEMENT SLOW. Dunedin, Thursday. "I do not think New Zealand will ever he able to manufacture anything much for export," said Sir xvlexander Spence, of Dundee, in commenting upon the commercial relations between the Dominion and England, when speaking at Dunedin. Sir Alexander is accompanied by his wife, and has been visiting relatives in Ohristhurch. He intends to spend about two months in. the Dominion.

"You safeguard yourself here with a heavy tariff," said Sir Alexander, "but England is just a free dump for all the countries in the world. My feelings are that there, ought to be sv bettei understanding between the Dominions and England, and that there should be a heavy tariff on the foreigner. Of course we are getting preference from Australia and New Zealand, but this dumping has been very detrimental to home industries. We could never afford to put a tariff on foodstuffs, as we cannot produce more than one-third of what we need. We could do far more manufacturing if there ,was fair competition, but there is hot. Britain was once the workshop of the world, but that is all change dnow.'' The industrial conditions at Home were improving slowly but steadily. The great difficulty of course was the unemployment problem. There Averc far too many people in England, pecially in the cities. The very class of man New Zealand wanted Encjand did not want to lose. The good agricultural man was needed there. " NO EXTREMES. The thing that impressed Sir * Alexander a grat deal about the people in New Zealand cities was the fact that there appeared to be no extremes. He had seen no cases of extreme poverty and the cities seemed to be devoid of the slum areas which were so noticeable in the centres in England. There 75 per cent of the houses were tenement houses, the existence of which tenued to create slums. New Zealand towns appeared, as if they had been built to prevent the encroachment of slums. The conditions for working people were much better in New Zealand than at Home. Sir Alexander did not consider the cost of living in New Zealand any higher that it wag* at Home. It had to be borne in mind that the prices in .England had been practically doubler since pre-war days. There were many tirngs which wei'3 cheaper in New Zealand, foodstuffs for instance. Cattle and sheep were half the price here that they were "in Bu£|lancii. LAND IN NEW ZEALAND. The price of land in New Zealand he considered exorbitant. As this .was a new country it would be thought that -land would be much cheaper, but it was evident that it was much dearer than at Home. Such a high cost tended to create serious housing- and building problems. "The New Zealand people," concluded Sir Alexander, "are very likeable in every way, and have extended great kindness and hospitality to us. I am quite sure Av e . shall return Home with exceedingly happy memories of a delightful country and a delightful people."