APATHY, OR ?

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 11 September 1937, Page 3

APATHY, OR

NEW ZEALAND TRADE OITO RT U NITIES IG N 0 R EI) NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES "Mr Nash lias returned after searching for expansion of New Zealand trade in markets already practically satiated. Why does he not concentrate his energies on a market hitherto almost ignored by New Zealand, the Far East and Netherlands Indies in particular, before it is too late?” The question (states the Auckland "Star") was asked by a business man from the Netherlands Indies. “I say this," he said, "as a friend of your country and as one who knows the potentialities of the East as an outlet for your produce. I have spent upwards of 30 years in Netherlands Indies Malaya and China, and have made frequent fairly lengthy business visits to New Zealand,, so I do not speak merely from hearsay. “In my opinion there are two main factors preventing the development of New Zealand’trade with the East—the iron fist of Australian business concerns already entrenched there, and—l speak straight—apparent apathy on the part of your farmers and business men. From Australia each week sail several steamers for the East laden with Australian produce. Only 30 years ago Australian exports of flour, jam, fresh fruit, tinned fruit, tinned meat, butter, biscuits, live stock, etc., amounted to a mere 10,000 tons a year. The total is now in the vicinity of 300,000 tons a year. These ships are fast, modern vessels, fitted with adequate refrigerating space and cater for passengers by providing comfortable accommodation of the type suitable for the tropics. Now, think of New Zealand's disadvantage—one British and two Netherlands ships and not one of them fitted with refrigerated space. Nor have they large enough passenger accommodation to cope with what might be developed into a very large tourist trade. PROSPECTIVE MIGRANTS

“I do not think that you in New Zealand realise the changing attitude of Europeans in the East. Their longing to return to their home countries in Europe—Britain, Holland, or wherever it may be—for a holiday, or to spend their retirement. Europe now is too full of the talk of war. Added to that there is a definite feeling in the East that Europe is on the decline and that the future lies in the Pacific. In New Zealand you have experience of that in the gradually increasing number of Britons coming here from India, China and Malaya to spend the rest of their lives. In the Netherlands Indies the outlook is now the same; an ever increasing number of officials and business men look to New Zealand and Australia as their homes of the future. Australia is fully exploiting this fact. New Zealand is practically ignoring it, and therefore you are losing prospective citizens of the most desirable type, men who would bring capabilities and capital to New Zealand, and thus be an asset to the Dominion. TOURIST POSSIBILITIES

“You cry out lor more population, but say you cannot take more of the immigrant type while unemployment is rife. And yet you make no real attempt to invite those men here, men who, far from being a drug on the labour market, would actually employ labour and therefore help to reduce the unemployment figures. Nor must you forget to cater for the purely tourist trade. Think only of a small country like Switzerland, and you will realise what money there is in it. Your country is just as beautiful as Switzerland, your attractions are just as potentially varied, yet you do not exploit them fully or properly. I say “potentially” advisedly. I need only instance your hotels. All I need to say is that they are not what should be. EGGS IN ONE BASKET

“Reverting to trade. 1 say emphatically that you have been living too long in a fool’s paradise. Pardon me for saying so, but you make a grave mistake when you adopt the attitude that you can dictate to world markets. You have to fight for them, and fight you will have to before long. You have placed all your eggs in the one basket, London. Your Mr Nash visited Germany and Russia in the hope of new markets. Knowing these countries as I do, I do not feel as sanguine of the prospects as Mr Nash appears to be. And all the while you ignore the East, allowing Australia to capture a market in which, by every right, you should have a very considerable share. “Just think of Singapore. Are you going to sit quietly and allow Australia to gain all the "ontracts for supplying the naval and military with butter, fresh meat, jams, etc? Japan is already in the Netherlands Indies with products, including beer, which you could supply. In the Indies we do not want Japanese goods any more than we do the Japanese. We want New Zealand goods, but what are we going to do when you have not the initiative to canvass us? Every year we send you enormous quantities of oil and foodstuffs. It is a one-sided trade; you send us practically nothing. That does not please us; we would perfer that you would. A logical balance of trade would suit us better. “WHY NOT START?"

“I have already said that y , must fight for new markets. Why not start the fight now, before it is too late? Your business men and farmers must demand action, or, better still, act themselves. You have a Farmers’ Union which is numerically strong. Why do not its members make it strong in action as well? You must demand an augmented shipping service with capacity refrigerating space. That is absolutely essential. It is also imperative that New Zealand be adequately represented in the East. A Trade Commis«>oner with an ample staff to cover the Far East shsould be stationed at Singapore. “Please pardon my criticisms, but try to understand me. I, a foreigner, criticise you, but I do not do os as a foreigner. I do so as your friend and in your own interest. We of the Netherlands Indies have much in common with you—let both countries take advantage of that fact.’’