COMMONWEALTH WOOL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20720, 13 November 1930, Page 11

COMMONWEALTH WOOL.

BRITISH MANUFACTURERS.

GRIEVANCE REPRESENTED.

SIR A. BALFOUR'S PROPOSAL

By Telegraph—PfesH Assoeiation—Copyright. 'Received November 12, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON.Nov.iI. That Australian wool was treated as foreign in assessing the proportion of British material entitling British woollen goods to preference was the bitter complaint of a manufacturers' deputation to the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. J. H. Scullin. He replied that Australia was so anxious to help Britain that she penalised her own products. This was one of several anomalies which he proposed to remove. Mr. Scullin said the woollen industry was natural to Australia, which could not continue Sending woo] 12,000 miles and importing goods made from it. Two hundred and fifty manufacturers and representatives of British trade associations were introduced by Sir Arthur Balfour and Sir A. McD. Duckham. Mr. Scullin urged industrialists in Australia and Britain to consult and to discuss specific lines to be reserved for manufacture in either country. He did not claim that the Australian tariff was perfect. A wool manufacturer interjected: Australia is building up non-economic industries. " In that case they are bound (o fail and you will enter again," said Mr. Scullin, who claimed that preferential tariffs constituted the principal, though not the only, method of promoting interImperial trade. Some Australian industries did not produce all the varieties of goods required. Mr. Scullin suggested that in such cases certain markets or portions of markets should be allocated to manufacturers in different parts of the Empire. Sir Arthur Balfour said: "It seems to us there is room for a little more help in the way of preference. We send money to Australia for goods and Australia sends that money to the United States. If Mr. Scullin can make any preference gesture it will make it- easier for the Commonwealth to borrow a little moie money from Britain. " The moment is extremely opportune. We can show our faith in Australia by not withdrawing our money too quickly. I proclaim my faith in Australia, and 1 will liack it to the limit."