BRITISH GOODS FIRST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17269, 19 September 1919, Page 9

BRITISH GOODS FIRST.

NEW ZEALAND'S POLICY. C LEADERS IN AGREEMENT. MATTER FOR THE PEOPLE. The question of trade with Germany was discussed at the anniversary dinner of the Commercial Travellers' Association at Wellington. Mr. M. Can*, vice-president, expressed *- the hope that the commercial travellers * and warehousemen would do their best to *•' make it impossible for all time for Germans to trade with this country. I F Mr. R,ushbrook, who presided, said the s question wr.s whether we were going to shut out German goods altogether, or go l on trading a-; in the days before the war. v (Cries of 'No!") How was this to be ' stopped? He thought the matter was 1 one in which they a s business men could ;do much. They should be determined I that they would push British goods for all ' j they were worth. They must use every scrap of their influence to see that only ' lines bearing British trade marks were sold. (Applause.) The Prime Minister said he endorsed the ' expressions of opinion by the president and ' vice-president of the association. He believed the commercial travellers of New Zealand would do their best to keep Ger- . man goods out of New Zealand, and if j they wanted any assistance the Government and Parliament would assist them. (Applause.) " 1 hope with all my heart," he said, "that Germany will not again be able to obtain the high position she formerly had ill different parts of the world. We have had our lesson, and if we do not profit by the lessons of the war, then we do not deserve our victory. " 1 hope that Britain will adopt a policy of Imperial preference. Something of the sort is urgent!} required. Britain has held to the policy of the open door, and that was perhaps the proper policy 60 or 70 years ago, but I don't think it is the proper policy to-day. Conditions have changed. " The people of Britain— 1 speak of them with respect and with a great deal of affection —know that the future of the Empire depends on the younger nations of the Empire, and if the Empire is to be developed as it ought to be developed, then the proper thing is to arrange this policy of Imperial preference, in order that we may help one another on every possible occasion. ■ This could be done by Customs tariffs, but that is not the only way ; we could help one another in finance, immigration, shipping, and in other ways. '" I do not for a moment say that we should not trade with other nations, but not with Germany (hear, hear) —but we 1 have to help our own people fii-st, to help our own Empire. We may let the Allied nations have a fair share of trade, but our own people must always come first." (Hear, hear.) Sir Joseph Ward agreed that the introduction of German goods should lie prevented. Britain and some of the Allied nations were resuming trade -with Germany, and it might not be possible for New Zealand to take legislative action to prevent the invasion of German trade, and it would be left to the people themselves to say whether trade operations with Germany could be renewed. New Zealand wanted Imperial preference, but New Zealand wanted it in a way she had not. yet had it. We had already j ' given preference to "Britain and to other ; > parts of th-° Empire, but at present J Britain, under her fiscal policy, had no preference to offer to us, except the great privilege of getting out products into j, England free of duty. "Mr. Maseey knew, r and he knew, that Britain was most s anxious to co-operate with the galaxy of young, nations of the British Empire. No 5 other country bad such an array of young nations, and no other country could ever i hope to have them.