TARIFF IN BRITAIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21112, 20 February 1932, Page 11

TARIFF IN BRITAIN.

OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK. SANER PUBLIC OPINION. MANUFACTURER'S VIEWS. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON. Friday. Saner views than .those which formerly were oxpressort are expressed to-day in England 011 the tariff question, according to Colonel R. 11. Goldthorp, a member of a Yorkshire manufacturing firm, who arrived at Wellington to-day hv the Rangitiki. lie said that extreme views, cither for free trade or protection, were rarely heard. Mr. Goldthorp said lie thought it could safely be said that in England trade and the affairs of the country had definitely touched bottom. Things were not going lo bo any worse in his opinion. They were tackling many problems which had presented themselves, and everyone was "getting down to it." "Wo are all determined to put our backs into it until conditions are right again," ho said Mr. Goldthorp said that his own firm would derive considerable assistance from the tariff, because it had had to compete with a tremendous quantity of cheap goods which were dumped into England, mostly from Belgium and France. "I do not think it will bo at all a hard and fast thing," Mr. Goldthorp ro marked." He recalled -what had happened near the beginning of the movement when there was somo talk of a 50 per cent. duty. The result had been that foreign competitors had vied with one another to introduce as much as possible into Britain beforo the blow fell. Ihe embarassing results of this could well bo imagined. Colonial trade was a very good thing for Britain. It was a good market, and, generally speaking, New Zealand was one of the best customers. English manufacturers, on the whole, were satisfied with the position. Tho difficult problems of credit and exchange would come up, ho supposed, at the Imperial Conference in Ottawa, and on tho discussions there a great deal would depend, particularly for New Zealand.