DRIED FRUITS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 176, 26 June 1926, Page 11

DRIED FRUITS.

AUSTRALIAN PRODUCE. PROSPECTS IN BRITAIN. LONDON, June 16. The Secretary for the Dominions, Mr Amery, who was the chief guest at a luncheon at Australia House today to celebrate the opening of the dried fruits season, congratulated Australia on the remarkable progress of the industry. The quality of the fruit now was first rate, and remembering that every spent set in motion a. chain of economic consequences, they were justified individually and nationally in supporting the Australian industry in order that the people of the Commonwealth, who.were of the same stock, might also maintain their wage standard. Because the Australian producer paid six times what the Near East producer did, they must see that the development of the market here kept pace with development and production in Australia, which was purchasing £lO per head of British goods as compared with the Turks’ 9s, the Americans’ 9s 2d, the Spaniards’ 11s, and tho Greeks’ 18s Bd. “It is unquestionably sound common sense,” continued Mr Amery, “to satisfy our needs fixhn Australia in preference to those not buying equally from us or offering the same opportunities. We must do our utmost to get the consumer interested in Empire goods, and also to convince the middleman of their quality. In this direction the Empire Marketing Board will do very valuable work by creating an organisation for systematic publicity, research, and marketing, thereby influencing the psychology of our people and encouraging consumers to buy Empire products.” QUALITY TELLS. Mr J. R. Clynes, who was Lord Privy Seal in the Labour Cabinet, said lie supported a high wage standard, because it increased tho purchasing power of the consumer. He advocated the encouragement of Dominion goods oil the grounds not only of kinship, but because of the opportunities for employment offored to British unemployed ; but he argued that the advancement of Dominions’ exports to Britain depended on their quality. As long as the dried fruit maintained its quality there would be no need to fear the future. Sir James Cooper, who was Director of Raw Materials Finance at the Ministry for Munitions, 1917-20, presided, and those present included. Viscount Chelmsford, the newlv-appointed Agent-General for New South Wales; Lord Clarendon, Parliamentary Un-der-Secretary for Dominion Affairs; Sir Sydney Chapman, Permanent Secretary to the Board of Trade; Mr E. A. McTieman, Mr W. F. Dunn and Mr F. L. McDougall, Australian representative on the Imperial Economic Committee.