MARKETS CLOSED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 28 November 1938, Page 5

MARKETS CLOSED

EFFECT OF HIGH TAXES GOODS DONE WITHOUT FARM PRODUCE QUOTA? New Zealanders were having to do without many goods they needed and pay high prices for medium quality articles because of the barrier of duties and exchange that was being built up against the British manufacturer, Mr K. Ward told the New Plymouth Rotary Club (reports the “Herald”). Mr Ward has just returned from a business trip to Great Britain where he discussed .11 aspects of the trade position with manufacturers and merchants. New Zealand duties and exchange were making it increasingly difficult for English manufacturers to sell to New Zealand. The manufacturers at Home were not blind to the fact that New Zealand was steadily closing her markets to Britain, he said. This state of affairs applied just as much to goods not manufactured in New Zealand and not needing protection as it did to the products of industries being fostered in New Zealand, he added. New Zealand, said Mr Ward, had to go without many goods that people in other countries were enjoying the use of and which were needed in New Zealand. They could not be bought in this country until duties and exchange were reduced. In general it cost 80 per cent, to land British goods in New Zealand so that costs were doubled when they were put on the market here. The result of the high duties was that New Zealanders did not enjoy high quality goods. They had to be content with low and medium values. Mr Ward also expressed the opinion that it would not be long before New Zealand had to accept some restriction on her exports of dairy produce to Great Britain. CLOSELY FARMED As soon as a traveller got outside the cities in Britain he found*hundreds of miles of closely-farmed country, said Mr Ward. There were many more people living on the land in Britain than there were in New Zealand. The British farmer had the same problems to face as his New Zealand competitor. Labour was difficult to obtain because he could not afford to pay the wages demanded. One reason why he could not pay wages was because of the competition from overseas he had te compete with. Mr Ward said that he wondered how much more competition the English farmer could stand. The English Government was becoming increasingly aware of the plight of the farmers in the Old Country and it was quite likely to say to the Dominions: “We have to look after our own farmers, and can’t let you go on flooding our markets with your goods.” Mr Ward was confident that the time would come when New Zealand would have to accept some restriction on her exports to Great Britain.