STOCKS OF GERMAN GOODS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16499, 27 March 1917, Page 6

STOCKS OF GERMAN GOODS.

POSITION IN AUSTRALIA. PROHIBITION OF SALE. The dilemma in which the wholesale and retail traders of Australia have been placed by. the proposed prohibition of the sale of enemy goods which were purchased prior to the outbreak of war was recently explained to the Prime Minister, Mr. W. M. Hughes, by a deputation representative of the commercial interests of all the States in the Commonwealth,

■Mr. Warren Kerr, president of the Melbourne Chamber of . Commerce, said that goods from/enemy countries which had been bought and ■: paid for before the ■ war, and, were still held by wholesale find; retail traders, were /valued in the aggregate at several hundreds of thousands ;of - ; pounds. The capital : which the sale of : these goods would realise could be used in other directions. Tho '- ditty on > these goods had already ; been paid, and an . additional ' hardship would thus be placed on traders if they , were prevented from /realising on what was, actually their own property.-//

Mr. H. Meeks, : representing the South Australian and -Victorian Hardware Associations, said that in the ; hardware ■ trade alone it was estimated that the stocks of enemy origin amounted to £100,000.,' '7/ Mr. P. Berry, Brisbane - Chamber of Commerce, said that enemy goods valued at £29,000 were in the possession of members of the body ho represented. ///./. In reply,- Mr. Hughes said '< he realised the problem was a difficult one. / It seemed extraordinary—to say the least :of it— that after : two 'and a-half years ''of • war there should .be, still in Australia stocks of goods— precise , value of which no one was able ..to' tell him— had been ! imported, mostly from Germany, in spite of the fact" that full opportunity had been given for disposing of them. :? He had - to express his - regret to find that ' so/much of the enemy's had been imported. ;,"The policy of the Government in regard to this matter," Mr. Hughes conturned,' " is to take advantage of this great calamity which has overtaken the . world, and to. turn it to our advantage—to encourage Australian industries, and to foster ; trade between - the various parts' of the' Empire.- Some of the existing stocks of German goods in Australia are of that character which Jdo not off t much -. prospect of Australia supplying for some time to :-. come, _ but i when you'. adk for ' the ■ re-1 moval of' the prohibition, so as to allow! / the/ goods jto be sold just the same as* | other goods, : I do not .think • you take ' into j consideration the .sentiment- of the people j ! —which is a. real tiling. It i s a factor- in ] I this war, : arid'it makes national effort pos-1 sible. Whilst some phases, of the problem I appear to 'be capable of solution, others: do riot.- 1 ;/Wo have received : goods.purport-j i ing to have been made in 'America, which jwe found were .made in Austria. I may tell yon 'candidly; that I do not know how ; I am going to afford you the relief yon I . ask for,. and iat ■■ the same ; time / act con-' sistently , with the \ policy.': of the 7 Govern- 1 rnent. To some parts of this problem' there is; a solution, and/it will 'be. applied '' without delay, but there are other/parts I '. which do not appear,to me to be possible! of solution, and I cannot say what relief ( will be afforded. It ■, does not appear' to me ,to be" consistent with '. our' protestations : to wage this life and death straggle to a successful issue that we should permit an ■ open display of German goods undistin- ' guished; from those of- other countries." Voices: Not undistinguished ! ' J ( Mr. Hughes: If the goods were marked ' " German' the. burden -would bo cast on ] the - people. /'Perhaps a solution . may be - found in , that Way. .....] . ■■■-. ■.'..',, ,■..-.-.-,-...» ■ \