OTIMISTIC TONE

Northern Advocate, 18 April 1933, Page 7

OTIMISTIC TONE

PREVALENT IN BRITAIN. ECONOMIC RESTORATION. • Special to "Northern Advocate,") AUCKLAND, This Day. Favourable comment on conditions in England generally were made by Mr W. 11. Zander, of Wellington, who returned to Auckland by the Niagara yesterday after a tour of England, the Continent, and Canada.

“There is not the slightest doubt that England is definitely picking up, ’' he said, ‘ ‘ There is an optimistic tone everywhere. It has for a considerable period been apparent that Great Britain is slowly but surely recovering something of the economic standing which she lost during the war. After having slipped back to third exporting country, England lias regained first position.'' Mr said that the most striking indication of England's recovery was the pronouncement made by the Rt. Hon. Neville Chamberlain, British Chancellor of the Exchequer. It must have been a peculiar satisfaction to Mr Chamberlain to be able to announce that Great Britain had regained first position as an exporting country. jMr Chamberlain appraised the work of the National Government in the past 12 months, and said British credit was so fully restored that the Government was almost embarrassed by the amount of foreign money brought to London by people who felt it to.be a safer place than those countries from where it came.

Industrial Progress. “ Perhaps the most encouraging eonVrete instance of this returning prosperity presented by the Chancellor of the Exchequer was the announcement that since the National Government came into office more than 200 new factories had beep established in England with foreign capital, and that it had had invitations from 20 foreign countries to enter into new commercial treaties —a circumstance unprecedented in the days of free trade, when there was nothing to offer in return. That the recovery of Great Britain will ultimately be followed by the recovery of other parts of the Empire is a natural corollary.”

In striking contrast to the improvements in Great Britain, Mr Zander described conditions on the Continent as “terrible.” “In Vienna, poverty bits you in the face,” he said. “People are begging in the streets, and there are many pitiful cases.” Mr Zander left Germany on the eve of the elections. The people did not know what was going to happen. Thev feared serious rioting, but their fears were unfounded. The general impression was that Germany hoped Hitler would get a majority provided there was a fair proportion ot Nationalists in the Government. Germany was looking to Hitler for big things.

AVliorc, in some eases, manufactures had to go to Germany and other Continental countries for their raw materials, they were now able to go lo England, said Mr Zander. A number of Continental factories had opened branches in England and were employing British labour, so that England was now turning out a first-class product, in many lines. It was the duty of the Dominions to assist the Mother Country.