SECONDARY INDUSTRIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21098, 4 February 1932, Page 17

SECONDARY INDUSTRIES

development in dominion. RELATIONS WITH BRITAIN. / ; reciprocity in trade. ' / ' i 8 question whether the development the secondary industries of New Zeaconstitutes disloyalty to Britain is mossed by Mr. S. Takle, president of tke Auckland Manufacturers' Association, jj, an article on the subject, jfr. Takle states:—" It is a truism that man's politics are governed by his L ' nnferial interests. Some New Zealand flitters openly say thai. Britain being our best customer, and for dairy produce practically our only one, we should get out to please Britain by scrapping onr manufacturing plants, and by buying ,]] our requirements of manufactured goods where we' sell our dairy produce „ would improve our market This contention is, of course, not correct, for fjro reasons. The first is that Britain js a buyer of our produce from purely prffnmercial reasons, and that our butter buyers have no rejrard for Empire conjjfieraiians it evident in the relative prices of New Zealand butter and that paid to foreign suppliers.

Sentiment and Prices. "The second is that through foreign competition and cheaper supplies from Siberia Britain may possible be unable Jo continue to take as large supplies from New Zealand as hitherto has been the case. The people of Britain have a kindly regard for New Zealand and flew Zealanders, but that regard does not influence them to forgo their tastes and preferences when buying butter, cheese or meat. Perhaps they are not to be blamed for- this. May be we are not properly catering for their particular tastes and fancies. "The local manufacturer, on the other hand, says that the path of national safety for the Dominion lies in the building up of a self-reliant community which will further extend the sure domestic market within our borders, and, incidentally, increase the manufacturers' prosperity at the same time. A conflict of interests in these views is apparent, but fortunately extremists from either side are unable to have their way. New Zealand's existing secondary industries have been built up out of the necessities of the people. In very few cases have fresh tariffs been used to make the commencement of the factories possible. It has to be admitted that revenue tariffs have been availed of to establish industries that would have been impossible under free trade. Fight Against Prejudice. " That the development of our own industries is having some effect on our imports from abroad is undoubted, -and is a tribute to the tenacity and grit of the local manufacturer who has had to fight prejudice and that inferiority complex in our people which fails to recognise that brains, capacity and initiative are to be found here as well as elsewhere. Long past are the days when British Imperialism demanded from the occupied territories tho sole right of the supply of manufactured goods in exchange for the natural products. " The American colonies in the eighteenth century did much to scotch feat, idea, and the final act was probably reached in November of last year when the British Parliament passed the Statute of "Westminster making the British Empire a group of sovereign states. The j ties of Empire are no less strong on this account, but rather the reverse. The old saying that 'a tight cord is easily broken' is very true. " New Zealand is as loyal as any part of the Empre. but that does not cause her to lose her sense of proportion. The development of our Dominion on sound economic lines is of great value to the Mother Country in providing a market for those luxury articles, the demand for which follows on progress. New Zealand will also provide a market for machinery and raw materials which cannot be produced here."