THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1923. EMPIRE TRADE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19038, 7 December 1923, Page 4

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1923. EMPIRE TRADE.

Generally speaking, there should be no room for argument as to the desirability of giving preference to British manufactures in the importation of goods, wherever the prices and quality of the articles admit of this being done. The public sentiment is indeed strongly in favour of the adoption of this course. It is, therefore, somewhat disconcerting to be told by His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner that the Dominion could procure a large proportion of imported goods from Great Britain which are now obtained from other countries. Mr Elmslie stated this week, at his meeting with members of the Chamber of Commerce, that the imports from Great Britain at the present time are about 52 per cent, of the total, but he suggested that the proportion should be about two-thirds. He is reported tp have said at another meeting in the South Island that New Zealand shops are offering goods of foreign origin, although similar articles of equal quality and at the same price are available from Great Britain. The statement is worthy of the most careful consideration, for few traders and a very small section of the public would, other things being equal, prefer foreign goods to British products. If goods of foreign origin are being offered for sale in New .Zealand when British goods of the same class' are procurable, a probable explanation is that the British manufacturers and their agents are not wholly blameless. It is unquestionable that in many instances British manufacturers are not so enterprising as some of their foreign competitors are and they are prone to rest rather too largely on a reputation which, while it has a solid basis, is no longer in itself sufficient to recommend their goods. Mr Elmslie admitted at the meeting in this city that English manufacturers had not fully met the colonial demand, and he instanced the case, which is rather notorious, of motor cars. This item alone accounts for a considerable portion of the total value of imports from foreign countries, and if it were transferred to the British side of the ledger the effect would be that the proportion of British imports into the Dominion would not be far off Mr Elmslie’s ideal. International trade is not, however, capable of simple adjustment, as‘it depends on many considerations of the moment. Varying production, subject as it is to seasonal and other influences, makes it impossible to fix arbitrary limits for ratios of imports from different countries, even while as a general principle British goods should be preferred. Moreover, it is not possible, even were it wise, to exclude the possibilities of trade with other countries. The idea of a selfcontained Empire is doubtless worthy of high commendation, but the impracticability of its complete realisation should be fully recognised. It is not by placing obstacles in the way of the expansion of international trade that a country can be raised to higher planes of greatness, and, instead of contemplating restrictions of trade, wisdom lies in continued preparation for its expansion. In the political hurly-burly of the past few weeks much has been said about the decaying trade of Great Britain and not a little of it has been said before. The British imports of iron ore during the first six months of this year were more than double those at the same period of 1922, and the production of steel ingots and castings rose from 1,557,000 tons in the third quarter of last year to 2,338,000 tons for the second .quarter of the present year. The output of coal from Great Britain since January has averaged 2,000,000 tons a mouth in ex- '

cess of the same period of the previous year. The whole aspect of trade prospects may, of course, be altered by the results, of the general election, hut the fundamental economic facts will prove too stubborn to be lightly set aside. By encouraging international trade Great Britain can in the future, as in the past, strengthen her position and as a stronger parent she can best help the Dominions, but until Europe settles down it will be difficult to measure values and prospects at all accurately. In the meantime, nothing can be gained by placing restrictions on trade, the fullest development of which is in the interests of the Empire as of the rest of the world.