POWERS DESCRIBED AS DRASTIC

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 7 December 1938, Page 3

POWERS DESCRIBED AS DRASTIC

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESIDENT’S VIEW ■ “There is no doubt that the Government was faced with a situation where i 1 1 something had to be done, but the ! ’ powers taken seem drastic ancj pro- j ; bably unprecedented in the history of I the British Empire,” said the presi-; dent of the Wellington Chamber of ! Commerce, Mr P E. Pattrick, comment- i j ing last night on the regulations for the j control of imports and exports. ! “ Im the licensing process,” Mr Pal- ! trick continued, "it is absolutely im- ; i punitive that full regard should be j paid to the l'act that our present fav- I ; curable trade balance with Great Bri- ; tain is over £20.090.009 for the last I , ; yepr’s trading. We have recently had 1 very clear indications from London that they would he obliged to view' with disfavour any undue restriction j . j of British imports calculated to cause! , an increase in their adverse balance. I "The situation now facing the Do- ! I minion makes it abundantly clear that we must live within our income, and i that, accordingly, the tempo of proj c ' uc ‘hon, which has slowed down and ! compares so unfavourably with that m I the rest ol the world, must be speeded j up, if we are going to maintain any--1 j thing like the present standard of livj ing. "It is to be hoped that, as the re- [ l suit ol the new legislation, importers! j will not be put in an embarrassing; I Position regarding contracts entered I ; into for the manufacture of goods, not 'J actually on the water, but to be•

shipped. If this should be the case, it would mean virtual repudiation and would cause confusion not only in Britain, but also at this end, through failure to carry out contracts.”