Nelson Evening Mail TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1927 IMPORTERS' RECENT DIFFICULTIES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIV, 1 November 1921, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1927 IMPORTERS' RECENT DIFFICULTIES

THE difficult times through which New Zealand traders have hoc-i). pass.iijrr ilr e carefully dealt with by Mr ]{, \V. Daltorv British Trade Commissioner in New Zealand. The trouble was brought about mainly by shortage' during the war and the keen public demand. This induced traders to order more iiian they needed .in the hope I bat they would get something like enough to keep their business going, .in .June last came the news of a break in prices in Britain. This was reported, to be a slump and New Zealand buyers hung oil' in expectations 01 a drop in prices. At this time too, goods previously ordered began 10 arrive in large quantities. The prospects of traders were indeed dark with the great reduction of buying | b v the public, followed by the arrival ! of big shipments which had to be paid | for at peak prices, with iho further difficulty that a drop in prices was coming. As Mr Dalton points out, New .Zealand, with a population of little over n million, has accepted -oods to the value of over CSn,non.,ooo in 1" months, while her export amounted to only t'oO.OOO.Onf) in the •:nnie period, and many of these ex- 1 ports were paid for long before the period in which they were shipped. In 1910 the value of New Zealand'? imi)or is were only £'30,671,608. Mr Pa Iron thinks it is wonderful thai New Zealand has been able to stand (')„, strain and that generally speaking, traders here, and particularly the | oliT-'establislied traders, have accepted I (ho situation and have stood by ihetr commitments, lie ouestious wheth'er | (here is any other country in the world \vhifli fnn show such a record. Here Mr Dalton touches on what has 1,.,,,,, ~ sore point with not a few ini--1 pollers. '< -ore liavo been eancellai ions ; 0 f orders and refusals to take up , io ods on arrival, and he has been in receipt of many complaints from New Zealand importers against their treatment by the Home manufadnrer. The complaint, generallv speaking has been that, orders were duplicated, , Mliun . w ith the same linn or with another beeause of lark of advice as to

execution or shipment, coupled with impatience for supplies to satisfy the heal demand ; and that, when markets reached peak price?, all these (it-iers were rxeeurod }|jjhin a* remarkably short space of time. He writes: ' Generally the conditions of the rerent abnormal period seem to have brought a lion t a forgotfulness oi the usual practices of commerce and ot ilie sanctity of contracts. (nder ordinarv circumstances an order '■for earliest nnssiblo delivery accepted and. entered in the hooks of the manufacturer .is 'here to be executed as soon as the mannnieturer can execute it unless it is definitely earn-elled in the meantime. Immediatelv the manufacturer was able in execute lie would there!ore rxe,„te in the belief that the good* wore needed, and u seems extraordinarv thai, purchasers should presume' that ot'ders dehmtelv -iven nm lcr .he wide terms oi shipment ~, ~,,-lu-t: possible date could .be nutonmiieallv cancelled by ellluxmu of lime, and were then-lore no lon-c-(M- on manufacturer s hook*. HiiT Mr Dalton does no! -entirely »n----,nlve flu- Tfriiisl. manufacturer trom Vardess methods of -radio- in abnor- „..,!■' limes. He iliiiiks lids criticism lcaniai.lv ho laid at the door of many Kn.di.l. linns, but he also bela-ves ,!,.,,, ~ii n(ls t upio the end oi last year manufacturers a, Tlotne were unaware „f the exact conditions rulm- in New Zealand. Their huge shipments at peak prices wore in many eases made in'-ood faith i.e.. i» the >' l '» l ! "' h " ! ,| lf ,,. N.-u /calami was .-lam. l unn;j: lor i}„. rrnods. In all but- a lew casesaml he admiis ha vine; invest isated , ( , in >, oi cunplaints of Jiritish trade ethics haviiiß changed for the worsela- is satisfied that the feelinjr ol rebutment on the part of New Zealand traders is not just died. However, his

report. states ihar Whether the manul'aeinror or the imporier.is io Name, ■^ i >'!»F. !, r soelini'exists here thai "'■'"•^ l '"•»! 1S tuo not above suspifu.n. .t niusi lie iho urgent need <>i' l!l( ' rnomonl Jor ,|,o iirms themselves to endeavour io clear themselves, io deal as lorn(>rt'v ns ihev cin wilh embarrassed •-iradWs hero', who are "l* n '» ,nl,n - v ~.m,.s <ii->runiled, and at all events if, eei hack to thai prolnty ai|<t rermlar svstoni of trading whu-h «>\- 'fsted before the war. .. •>,, f.-ir as t!)c future is cnn.-ernoil, it U SM.iuird otil thai thoii-hi the i\»nrr«s ~,,: hnoo, in view uf (ho l.ifih pneos „.,i t | ii,,. qnnntiiies of floods taken ~ « -.hole aro not lar-o and in vori;Ull ii„o, there are already shortap.es. ( There ran be no denying the fact that importers as a whole have had in fare tremendous losses dnrinji recent mnnil,, P.«. so far as the eonntry ...onerallv is concerned, it is a matter ,'„,. ~oo,',,'atHlatioti thai- trnaoi-s have hoc, :,l>lo io keep their heads above waio,. and avoid the disorganisation ,nd widespread loss thai would inomnhlv follow on ti general break-up.