BRITAIN’S TRADE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 138, 10 May 1930, Page 14

BRITAIN’S TRADE.

TIME OF REHABILITATION. NO SIGN OF DECADENCE. WELLINGTON, May 9. Complete confidence in Great Britain’s ability to rehabilitate her trade and finances was expressed by Mr A. VV. Wheeler, assistant-general manager of the Union Steam Ship Cornpuny, who arrived from San Francisco oj the Marama. He has spent the past two year 3 in England on business. Englishmen who went abroad were astounded at tho impression that their country was in the last stages of economic decay, Mr Wheeler said. There was absolutely no reason for a belief m Great Britain’s inability to “pull through.” Sho was in process of doing so, and from the way in which she was tackling her major problems of trade and industry generally, it was clear that she would find a way out. It was realised in England that there was no short cut to prosperity. Acting upon this belief, the country was seeing to her foundations before building up the superstructure of trade. There were still many industries in a state of depression, but steps wero being taken to right them. The people were anxious to work, and a visitor was struck by the keenness of scientific and commercial leaders to solve the principal problems of reform. Unemployment was still a difficult question, but it was note as bad as many thought. A fact often overlooked was that the unemployment figures did not always relate to the same 1,250,000 persons. Many left its ranks for work, and although they might poesibly rejoin the workless, the fact remained that the total fluctuated constantly through the addition or detraction of different persons. Britain’s total of unemployed had been paraded before tho world for the reason that it was always published. Other countries said less about their unemployment, although they suffered no less acutely. Germany recently had about 2,000,000 out of work, Italy about 1,000,000. and America from *3,000,001) to 5,000,000. These figures

indicated that, proportionately, Britain was not so badly off. The mining industry was going through a period of transition. Ala-nv mines had closed down, but pits with every modern appliance -were being opened in Yorkshire and Kent. It eeemed anomalous that while conditions in the mining industry were being improved, more miners were being displaced. This was the case, and a wav out was already being found by opening other avenues of employment for the miners. Alany were to be found in London working on omnibuses or in other occupations. London and ite environs provided a good example of the new spirit evident throughout England. Within a radius of 50 miles from London it was practically impossible to find unemployment. Trade and industry were working at top, and there was a spirit of optimism in the future. Generally speaking, some industries of those throughout the country were prosperous, and others were in a stage of transition in bringing about their rehabilitation by improved methods. During the past few years England had been engaged on a huge housing scheme, and thousands of dwellings had been erected in all parts. There was also a great electrification scheme in hand whereby the country would be served by interlocking systems of reticulation. Tho country was not, except in parts of Scotland, well served bv water-power, and coal would continue to play a large part in generation processes.