“STRONGEST POSSIBLE PROTEST”

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 28 August 1939, Page 9

“STRONGEST POSSIBLE PROTEST”

BY LONDON' FIRM TO N.Z. MINISTER OF FINANCE "A SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS" The following letter was recently sent by the Managing Directors of G. B. Kent and Sons. Ltd., to a firm of brush manufacturers established in London in 1777. to the Hon. Walter Nash. Minister for Customs and Finance:— "Dear Sir. —As one of the oldest brusn manufacturers in hte world who have been exporters to New Zealand for many years, we wish to enter the strongest possible protest on what amounts to an embargo on British brushes entering New Zealand during the next six months. This policy means that British manufacturers are getting a fairer deal from foreign countries where we are allowed to export our articles subject to a reasonable import duty.

1 "We take this opportunity of point-j ! ing out the following:— I New Zealand sells to Great Britain £48.898.865 New Zealand buys from Great Britain ££6.540.711 1 Excess of imports by Great Britain of N.Z. primary products £22,358.154 “While the present New Zealand Government has taken upon itself to v stop hundreds of British manufacturers > from sending in their goods to New Zealand, the British public are being, n urged to buy more New Zealand meat, . , butter, cheese, etc. This certainly seems an extraordinary altitude towards the British taxpayer. ai\d as one :i of our workers pointed out. it is the c British taxpayer who is bearing the r brunt of the cost of a large navy which o j i: a protection to New* Zealand, it I “Wc consider it a sad state of affairs h J that New Zealanders who have always g ! been highly popular in England should s now' adopt such a policy which ima j presses on manufacturers and the Brit- . ; ish working man that they can get a - j fairer deal from the foreigner than ■t I from the present New Zealand Government."