DEVELOPING INDUSTRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17339, 10 December 1919, Page 9

DEVELOPING INDUSTRY.

PARLIAMENTARY REPORT. OPINIONS IN AUCKLAND. MANY PROPOSALS CRITICISED A report upon the recommendations presented to Parliament by the Industries Committee of the House of Representafives, was presented by a sub-committee of the Auckland Provincial Industrial Association to the general committee at a meeting held yesterday afternoon, the president, Mr. F. M. Hills, in the chair. The committee, which consisted of Messrs. F. M. Hills, J. A. Graham, and E. Miller, approved the recommendations favouring a comprehensive hydro-electric scheme, to be carried out simultaneously in both islands, and also the forestry proposals and the establishment of a separate Department of Industries and Commerce. It considered, however, that the board should consist of more than three members and that whatever the number one member should he a professional economist of European reputation. * • : The majority of the committee approved the recommendations in regard to the Customs tariff, realising that the present tariff was long out-of-date, and abounded in anomalies. The proposal that the Board of Industries and Commerce should also be a tariff board, to make general recomI mendations from time to time, and that the Standing Orders of the House be amended to enable single articles to. be dealt with without the tariff as a whole being open to amendment, was stronglv supported by the committee. Mr. Miller, however, attached a minority report under this heading, to the effect that the Industries Committee had taken a wrong view of the matter— it should have sought to ascertain which industries were the most profitable, instead of being intent upon getting as many industries as possible started in the Dominion. If his suggestion were adopted 'a reduction in both tariff and cost of living might be feasible. With regard to " dumping," Mr. Miller held that it should not be beyond the wit of statesmen to accept the " dumping," with the cheap goods it involved, and at the same time, by judicious industrial action, greatly lessen the disadvantage of dislocation of industry. He also opposed the relaxing of the Standing Orders, as tending toward impermanence of conditions, and opening the door to moneyed influence in politics. Wtih regard to price-fixing by the Government, the association's committee held that in normal times the right policy was to make competition free and effective, and then leave the price of commodities to adjust themselves in accordance with the forces _of demand and supply. The system of fixing prices, and then subsidising the producers out of taxation, except in times of extremity, was pernicious. With regard to apprenticeship, the criticism was offered that the Industries Committee does not appear to have considered how its recommendation to improve the status and emoluments-of skilled artisans would affect the industries these men were engaged in. It would be of little use to induce an apprentice:to enter a trade only to find, after serving his time, that the trade had been unable to survive. On the subject of monopolies,* the association's committee strongly approved of means being taken to safeguard healthy competition. A certain amount of waste effort was inherent, and unavoidable in a competitive system, but this must be regarded as the_ cost of insurance against the overwhelming industrial and political evils that might be confidently anticipated as the result of any other system. The report was ordered to be circulated, 1 preparatory to discussion at the committee's next meeting. ;"*;''