MR. NASH IN LONDON

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22608, 22 December 1936, Page 9

MR. NASH IN LONDON

RECIPROCAL TRADE PLEA GOOD IMPRESSION CREATED [from our own correspondent] LONDON, Nov. 28 An appeal for reciprocal trade between Britain and New Zealand was made by Mr. Walter Nash, Minister of Finance and Marketing, when he addressed the Reciprocal Trade Federation of Great Britain yesterday at British Industries House. About 30 members were present, representing all branches of trade and commerce. Mr. Nash received an exceptionally good hearing and was well applauded. He spoke for 25 minutes. In an outline of New Zealand's problems Mr. Nash traced the history of the fall in prices and gave a resume of the New Zealand Government's major legislation. He dealt fully with marketing of dairy produce, and explained how the guaranteed prices were fixed. He also invited the support of all those really believing in reciprocal trade, and asked them to do all in their power to assist a Dominion like New Zealand to conclude with Great Britain real reciprocal trade agreements. Mr. Nash was applauded when he said that New Zealand's reciprocal trade ideals even went so far as undertaking to buy £750,000 worth of ten in Ceylon, which was nearly all the tea New Zealand imported, provided Ceylon entered into an agreement to buy £750,000 worth of British goods, that was, goods made in Great Britain, because Ceylon could not buy anything | like that quantity from New Zealand. It was, said Mr. Nash, the intention of the present New Zealand Government to leave nothing undone to conclude satisfactory reciprocal trade agreements with Great Britain. For that purpose he had come to England. Two suggestions were made by Mr. L. H. Mills, chairman of the federation, in reply. He asked if the New Zealand Government would consider assisting the depressed areas in Britain by increasing the preference on all goods wholly manufactured in depressed areas, thus encouraging British manufacturers trading with the Dominion to-erect factories in those areas, and suggested that New Zealand might consider increasing the preference on British manufactured goods wholly carried in British ships. The luncheon was a private one, but an impartial observer said Mr. Nash undoubtedly made an excellent impression. ''He did better than any British Minister I have heard," was the com« ment of this observer.