THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, JULY 2, 1935. PRACTICAL PATRIOTISM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22612, 2 July 1935, Page 8

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, JULY 2, 1935. PRACTICAL PATRIOTISM

The writer of a letter which we publish this morning over the signature “ Reciprocity ” emphasises a consideration which obstinately refuses ,to remove itself from the background of the discussions on the marketing of the produce of this Dominion in the Old Country. He raises again the question of the logic or consistency of an attempt on the part of Now Zealand to assert claims for consideration in the British market which some of her people have no thought of conceding to the British manufacturer in the market in the Dominion. The statistics which “ Reciprocity ” submits for the purpose of a comparison of the ratios of purchases by this and other dominions of goods from Great Britain to Great Britain’s purchases of their products may, no, doubt, be stated in another way, but, however they may be put, the burden of the argument to which they lead up is not affected. It is certainly pertinent to consider the extent to which there is reciprocity in trade between the United Kingdom and Now Zealand at a time when the representatives of the Dominion are engaged in important discussions at Home on the marketing problem. It is rather surprising to read our correspondent’s statement that dairy companies, freezing companies and those generally interested in the production of the goods for which the United Kingdom is the only overseas market are in their own purchases displaying little concern to show a preference for British goods, but

are placing their orders in countries from which they are unlikely to receive a better service than from the British manufacturer. It is a fair contention that so tar as they are showing this attitude the New Zealand producers are strangely blind to their own interests, as well as unmindful of material considerations bearing on the trading position as between the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Our correspondent’s argument that the hands of Mr Forbes and Mr Coates in London would be strengthened by evidence of a greater desire in New Zealand to increase her imports of British goods is not one that can be lightly dismissed. The delegation from New Zealand has been endeavouring to get the best terms possible for the marketing of this country’s products in Great Britain, knowing that the British Government has made up itsmind to do what it can to protect the interests of the British farmer. According to figures given by the Secretary of State for the Dominions in the House of Commons a few days ago, New Zealand took British goods last year to less than one-third of the value of the products which she disposed of to Great Britain—£•ll,soo,ooo against £40,500,000. Mr Thomas was frank enough, moreover, to say that it was useless for the dominions to claim that they must have free, unfettered entry to the British market, with preference, unless they equally bore in mind that the Ottawa Agreement provided that, as far as possible, instead of prohibitive tariffs and meaningless preferences, British industry should have a fair chance of entering the Dominion markets on a competitive basis. And so far as an indictment .lies that the very interests in this community which should be most anxious to show that it is their desire to purchase their requirements from Britain, on whose custom they are alldependent, go elsewhere for what they want, a policy is revealed on their part which it is indeed difficult to understand.