IMPORT CONTROL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 1 September 1945, Page 5

IMPORT CONTROL

EFFECT ON NEW ZEALAND INDUSTRY MR SEMPLE QUOTES FIGURES BUDGET DEBATE CONTINUED Wellington, August 31. When the Budget debate resumed Mr R. Semple, referring to the Opposition's antagonism toward import control, said since the restrictions had been imposed 1200 new factories had grown up and 40,000 people given employment with a wages and salaries bill of between £10,000,000 and £12.000.000. If the tariffs and restrictions were lifted those 40,000 people would be unemployed, because our industries could not compote with sweated labour in other countries where the standard of living was lower. He was not suggesting for a moment that New Zealand should not trade to the utmost with Great Britain. Mr W. S. Goosman (National. Waikato) had complained that this Government was creating class distinction. The Government had always fought against class distinction. (Opposition cries of “Rubbish”).

Mr Semple confessed that since boyhood he had been a rebel—a rebel against the wrongs in society. If a man or woman desired a place in society each should pull his weight. If a man did not work he should not eat and he would like to see stock exchange gamblers and industrial parasites walking the streets and wiping the tears out of their eyes with the flap of their stomachs. “POISONOUS PROPAGANDA” Mr J. T. Watts (National, Riccarton) said Mr Semple’s figures of new industries created in the period of the Government’s import control meant nothing until we knew how the totals were made up. The statement that 40,000 people would be thrown out of employment if the restrictions were lifted was mischievous and poisonous propaganda. The Opposition had never said it would remove tariffs. The National Party’s objective for industry was to bridge the gaps between New Zealand and other countries, bridge respective working conditions, bridge the gap between the size of markets and bridge the gap between general living standards. Mr Watts, replying to an interjection by the Prime Minister, said this could bo done by adjusting tariffs and bringing our markets in line with those overseas. The Budget was the biggest piece of political bluff ever put across the people of this country. It pointed to the continuation of strong control of industry after the war. What people had put up with during the war in the belief that it was unavoidable for the duration of the war was to remain a part of their post-war lives. Mr Watts said the Government’s assurances that it would foster trade with Britain were a humbug unless the import control policy was altered. The Government had repeatedly affirmed that it would not foster uneconomic industries in New Zealand. The time had come when manufacturers should be told what industries the Government considered were uneconomic and what it proposed to do about them. Industry could not have confidence until a stable Government policy was made known. As long as the Left Wing of the Labour Party babbled about taking over this and that industry and as long as the Left Wing might gain control and compel Cabinet to do what it knew to be unsound, industry would be in a dangerous position.

BRITISH LABOUR GOVERNMENT Mr Watts said the advent of the Labour Government in Britain would not necessarily be of great assistance to this country. The reverse might even be the case. We had always claimed that we were equal partners in the British Commonwealth. The British Conservative Government sometimes took an indulgent attitude to the Dominions. The Labour Government believed we were in fact equal partners and it would be no use us going to Britain in the future for help or for long-term money. The British Labour Government would say: “You claim you are equal partners. You will be treated on terms of equality in matters of trade and finance.” The paramount concern of Britain’s new Government was the provision of food and clothing for its people and its spokesmen had said they could police food prices, which was a statement New Zealand should note. Mr Bevin had declared there were no ideologies in trade. Mr Watts said we would have to Import more British manufactures than we did in 1938-39 and we must deal absolutely fairly with Britain. If this were done in conjunction with a tariff policy it would induce more efficient manufacturing in New Zealand and a reduction in the cost of living in the Dominion. NEW ZEALAND WOOL CLIP Mr E. L. Cullen (Government. Hawkes Bay) said now that the report of the wool conference had been published he hoped steps would be taken to improve the quality of the New Zealand wool clip. The breeding of stud sheep was not always used for the benefit of the woolgrowing industry in the district from which the winners of show awards came. He hoped that in the light of the committee’s report the Wool Council would make and enforce recommendations for an improvement in the quality of New Zealand wool. Only by improvement could we compete in wool against other countries, some of which had improved their clips in recent years to a point where they would be a great danger to the New Zealand product in quality and price. The House adjourned for lunch at 1 o’clock. —P.A.