TRACE WITHIN EMPIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19094, 12 August 1925, Page 13

TRACE WITHIN EMPIRE.

national effort urged. PRODUCTS OF THE DOMINIONS important recommendations AN EXECUTIVE COMMISSION. By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright. (Received 8.35 p.m.) A. and J?.Z.-Router. LONDON. Aug. 11. Tho Erst report of tho Imperial Economic Committpo on the marketing of Empire foodstuffs has been issued. It declares tho time is ripo for a national effort to stimulato the consumption of Empire produce in the United Kingdom. So far as the Stato is concerned, says the report, the scheme should rest on: (1) Tho legal requirements with a view 1o the identification of Empire goods; (2) financial assistance for education and publicity, which tho committee regard as mutually essential. Tho Merchandise Marks Bill, which is afc present before Parliament, would it is considered form a convenient basis for the further legislation which seems to be necessary.

Tho report suggests that the enforcement of tho law in respect to marketing at the timo of importation and to labelling at tho timo of retail sale should rest with one of tho existing departments of Stato. "It says an executive commission should bo formed, on tho model of the Development and Forestry Commissions, for tho pnrposo of supervising the expenditure of the annual grant from the British Parliament. Tli is (commission should bo chargod with the duty of conducting a movement for frado in the Empiro.

Allocation of Annual Grant. Tho report says tho Produce Commission should start by allocating about 65 per cent, of the annual grant for the promotion of trade in Empiro produce and about 15 per cent, for research. Tho remaining 20 per cent, should be reserved for certain other schemes, including the promotion of fruitgrowing in tho tropical portions of tho Empiro and the carriage of pedigree stock from the United Kingdom to overseas parts of the Empire. In a letter to. Sir 11. J. Mackinder, chairman of tho Economic Committee, tho Prime Minister, Mr. Stanley Baldwin, promised the Government's full and prompt consideration of tho report. Tho Times says tho report affords gratifying and tangible evidence of definite progress toward tho great ideal of ■ro-operation among all parts of the Empiro in evolving a trade policy for the benefit of the whole. It will be incumbent on tho Dominions and colonies to see that tho Empiro origin label becomes a guarantee of quality. Dominions' High Tariffs.

Tho Daily Mail remarks that there is ■no inherent reason why Britain should import such enormous supplies of food from foreign lands. The larger the trade within tho Empiro the more prosperous and safer will the PJnipire be. Tho Westminster Gazette says it is absurd for the committee to suggest by tho manipulation of statistics that tho Empire offers a better market for British manufacturers than the rest of tho world.

Tho Dominions at present only offer Britain a market of 27,000,(XX) souls. All tho Dominions are taxing British manufacturers by their high tariffs and there is no indication that they ever intend to do otherwise.

The Daily News says tho British housewife, in spito of mountains of patriotic labels and injunctions to think Imperially, will think first of the family budget. If the Empire producers can beat competitors by improved marketing nnd by more enterprising and more intelligent cultivation, so much tho better, but a self-contained Empire can no more bo created by tho mass production of propaganda than by the moro questionable methods of subsidies and tariffs.