OUR INDUSTRIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21086, 21 January 1932, Page 15

OUR INDUSTRIES.

IMPENDENCE ON TARIFF.« Uhelp our own people." ' \ the meaning of duties. STATEMENT BY MR. ALLUM. A valuable viewpoint in tho appraisement of Ne,w Zealand's system of tariffs on imported commodities was expressed yesterday by Mr. J. A.. C. A Hum, a Member of the executive of the Auckland ■Manufacturers' Association. " Customs duties." lie said, " are frequently severely criticised by those who seek to show that they tend to increase the cost of living and place* a barrier in the way of trade Tvith Great Britain. This criticism is ' usually part of propaganda directed against our secondary industries. » It is, of course, true that the imposition of customs duties causes an increase jn cost to the consumer, and this is the reason why the British Government is reluctant' and even unwilling to placo duties on imported foodstuffs. It must, however, be remembered that, so far as ..jj eW Zealand is concerned, customs duties have been/imposed primarily for revenue purposes; it has been a convenient form Of indirect taxation. The question may be asked as to what extent the New Zealand manufacturer has actually benefited tv the customs tariff, and a little inquiry will show that he has not benefited to anything like the extent of the British manufacturer. British Manufacturer Gains. " A very large range of goods enters the Dominion entirely free of duty (the 3 per cent, primage is ignored, as it is said to be only a temporary imposition) if of British manufacture, or even if only 60 per cent. -British, provided the final processes take place in Great Britain. On the other hand, similar goods, but of foreign manufacture, pay duty totalling approximately 33£ per cent. Then again in those cases where British goods pay 22 per cent, similar foreign goods pay approximately 61 per cent. " It must further be remembered that duties on foreign goods are paid on their value in sterling calculated at the exchange ruling at the time the goods are shipped from the country of manufacture. With the present, adverse exchanges ruling in so many currencies there is a further very large increase in the duty paid. From this it will be seen that the British manufacturer is given a tremendous pieference over his foreign rival, and this is done almost regardless of the circum- ' stances. In those cases where it is necessary to import goods I do not suppose there is' a single person in the Dominion <vrho does not prefer to import British goods, but every experienced trader knows that at present this is impracticable in every line. Although the range of British manufactures is vast, there are still some articles she does not make, and then again there are those cases where one • firm has a monopoly. Duties Designed for Revenue. ** Then no inquiry appears to be made to ascertain whether the cost of the British article is reasonable, or whether it is kept at an unduly high figure, due to inefficiency in production or to the eperation of combines. To say that the customs duties.-*place a bar on trade in British goods is ridiculous. As has already been stated, the object of the customs tariff is to produce revenue for ' .'the Government, and the rates of duty have been arranged to give very great preference to British manufacturers and to encourage trade with them. It is true that in a number of instances the_ duties on British goods act as a protection for our own manufacturers, but surely no one ■will seriously deny our own _ people the protection given freely and without criticism to Britishers in other parts of tho Empire. t " The question of Free Trade and Protection is a very debatable one, but I have never been able to understand tho attitude of the person who claims on the on* hand that we must support the British manufacturers by means of protective duties, but on the other hand would deny similar protection for our own manufacturers. Demand for Fair Play. V " New Zealand needs great development of her secondary industries to provide work for her people, and also, in some cases, to make her independent of the vast overseas trusts and combines. New Zealand manufacturers would be quite satisfied if they received the same measure of protection and consideration extended to their competitors in other parts of the Empire." Mr. -AHum said the object of his remarks was not to criticise or in any way to condemn the British manufacturer, but simply to suggest that any criticism of the Dominion's customs tariff should not be confined simply to those cases where it was designed to help the New Zealand people. Our motto should be: " New Zealand first, Great Britain an<; then the rest of the Empire. GIRL'S LONG WALK. ARRIVAL FROM THE NORTH. .After walking from Spirits Bay, a distance of 325 miles. Miss Esther James, who is tramping from the North Cape to the Bluff to advertise New Zealand-made goods', arrived at Auckland yesterday and interviewedithc Mayor, Mr. G- W. Hutchison. Since she left Spirits Bay she has lived solelv on New Zealand-grown foods. While walking up Topuni Hill on the way to Wellsford on January 11, *''* K i James was overtaken by the Hon J. G. | C'oates, Minister of Public Works, who offered her a ride in his car. She declined, and upon learning her mission, Mr. Coates wrote his name in her record book, together with a signed statement that she refused a ride. Miss James intends to leave on Monday for Hamilton and Wellington. She expects to accomplish her journey to the Bluff in five months, after walking a total distance of 1200 miles. She hopes later to walk through England advertising Isew Zealand-made goods. * BUY BRITISH " TRAIN. PUBLICITY IN ENGLAND. Mr. J. H. Thomas, waving a green flag, sißnalled out at Paddington station, London, recently, the Cornish Riviera express, whoso departure marked the opening ot the second week of the Empire Marketing Board's "Buy British" campaign. He had previously made a speech from the footplate of the engine. In honour of the occasion the express had 1 »een convex •ted into a special "Buy British - ' train. The engine, George V.," bore a large "Buy British poster, and each coach was decorated, inside and out. with similar slogans. A special Empire luncheon was served to the passengers on the journey. Mr. Thomas, himself an old Great Western railwayman, "fas. met at Paddington station by Viscount Churchill, the chairman of the company. Mr. Thomas said that the real value of the campaign was that it would bring liome to tho minds of the people the fact that in brains, brawn, skill, and workmanship, Britain was second to none in the World, and meant to pull through. "If you eannot buy British. ' he said, " buy Empire, and then there will not be room for anything else."