TRADE PROSPECTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 21 January 1939, Page 6

TRADE PROSPECTS

MEETING COMPETITION CO-OPERATION WITHIN INDUSTRY SURVEY BY MR R. S. HUDSON [British Official Wirelesßl (Received 21st January, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, 19th January. Mr R. S. Hudson. Parliamentary Secretary for Overseas Trade, in his speech surveying trade prospects, repeated the conviction that the only way of meeting competition of the kind British industry was now encountering was co-ope-ration within industry itself, so that the British traders could speak with one voice.

“It is no use blinking the fact that some of our foreign competitors have their hands immensely strengthened by the intervention of their Governments in economic matters. Whether that intervention is theoretically desirable or iu the long run economically sound, the fact remains that in the totalitarian countries the industries are organised to speak and act, not only individually, but nationally. Against competition of this kind the individual trader of this country is powerless. “Within the last few weeks we have made considerable progress towards getting the various important industries to organise in a united way. When in the next few days, or weeks, we come to negotiate with the countries concerned we shall be in a much stronger position than we were before we were able to get our industries to speak with one voice. “Where our industries have been organised for export, encouraging progress has been made, and I hope ’t will prove possible to arrive at an agreement with our competitors to avoid uneconomic forms of competition. Once our industries are organised they can be assured of the fullest help from *he Government.

“I think if we succeed in avoiding war for the next eighteen months we have no reason for undue pessimism in regard to our trade. I am not concealing from you the magnitude of the difficulties of the situation, and of new economic problems contin ’’y arising, but no doubt our competitors are experiencing similar problems. What we have to do is to sfiow our traditional initiative and enterprise in devising new methods to increase our export trade in the new conditions of international competition.” (An earlier message is published elsewhere in this issue).