SELLING PRODUCE ABROAD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20924, 14 July 1931, Page 9

SELLING PRODUCE ABROAD.

NEED FOR PUBLICITY.

« PALTRY" VOTE CRITICISED

The contention that the Government has done nothing in the present financial crisis to improve New Zealand's trade abroad was put forward by Mr. A. M. Samuel, M.P., in an address to the annual conference of the New Zealand Farmers' Union at Wellington. He criticised the "paltry" vote for publicity purposes, and emphasised that, it was the Government's duty to seek increased markets to obviate in some measure the necessity of inflicting hardships on the community by increased- taxation. "The Government is certainly teaching farmers how to increase production, but is it helping them to sell their produce to advantage?" asked Mr. Samuel. "I think not. The Government does not, seem to realise the importance of keeping pace with other producing countries in advertising and publicity. Our chief and practically our only market at present is Britain. What is the Government doing there to help the sale of our primary products ? It has its High Commissioner's Office. From inquiry I learned that the only man in this office who, for the past five or six years, has been organising produce propaganda with the Produce Boards, and doing most reliable work in this direction, has never at any time been granted more than a, paltry £IOOO to £2OOO per annum for this publicity work, while Australia has had her £65,000 per annum, Canada £IOO,OOO per annum, South Africa £15,000, and Ireland £IO,OOO per annum."

Mr. Samuel referred to the retrenchment and subsequent reinstatement (as a result of urgent representations by the primary producers' representatives) of the publicity officer of the High' Commissioner's Department. "Apart from this officer," he went on, "there is no one representing the Government in London assisting market development. The High Commissioner is certainly doing very excellent work, but, with the small sum at his command for publicity purposes, his activities are restricted. The Government of New Zealand is certainly not giving the High Commissioner sufficient encouragement in the matter of extending the markets for our primary produce."