FEWER IMPORTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23702, 9 January 1939, Page 8

FEWER IMPORTS

EFFECT ON LOCAL INDUSTRIES NECESSITY FOR SKILLED LABOUR THE PROBLEM OF SUPPLY (Special to Daily Times) AUCKLAND, Jan. 8. To what extent it will be practicable to find skilled labour to facilitate the Government’s plan for the expansion of the Dominion’s secondary industries under the import licensing system is regarded as somewhat problematical in industrial and trading circles. Many factories have already experienced difficulty in engaging full staffs of female workers, and it is considered that this problem may become accentuated under the developmental policy. Among the importations which have been prohibited or drastically curtailed under the licensing scheme are products in which female labour is employed to a considerable extent. Clothing, various foodstuffs, and fancy goods are among the articles which have been considerably affected by the import restrictions, and it is considered significant that female labour is employed extensively in their manufacture in New Zealand. For a considerable time there has been a pronounced shortage of youthful recruits to trades, and well-developed and intelligent boys and girls of 15 and 16 have been at a premium. The opinion has been expressed by some authorities that there is an insufficient number leaving school in the ordinary course for the normal needs of the primary and secondary industries. In spite of the inducement of fairly high wages, girls for factory work have been relatively scarce.

The full resources of the labour market are expected to be taxed in obtaining female factory hands if the manufacturing industries are required to supply some of the products which were formerly imported from abroad.- This, in turn, is expected to have a repercussion on the already limited labour available for domestic service. FACED WITH CLOSING MANUFACTURING FIRM’S POSITION IMPORTS GREATLY RESTRICTED (Peb United Press Association) WELLINGTON, Jan. 8. Refused licences to import raw materials essential in their business, Messrs C. H. Harris and Co., of Wellington, hearth furniture and art metal manufacturers, will be forced to close unless an appeal to the Minister of Customs (Mr W. Nash) is successful, or unless they are able to obtain supplies through other firms which have been granted licences. If the firm closes down 15 employees will be thrown out of work. The manager (Mr H. R. Harris) said he applied for licences to import £IOO worth of sheet iron from the United Kingdom, £IOO worth of sheet brass and stripped brass from the United Kingdom, £250 worth of sheet brass and stripped brass from Germany, and £l5O worth of hearth companion sets from the United Kingdom. He had been granted a licence to import £ 15 worth of sheet iron from the United Kingdom, but everything else had been refused. The materials were not made in New Zealand, Mr Harris said. The sheet iron could certainly not be obtained through another firm, and he could not understand the decision. AMERICAN EXPORTERS M NOT SERIOUSLY DISTURBED" (Special to Daily Times) INVERCARGILL, Jan. 8, In search of information on the import restrictions, Mr L. W. Coulsen, of Chicago, is paying a hurried visit to New Zealand. After three months in Australia, he arrived bv the Maunganui' this morning from Melbourne, and proposes to visit Wellington. He represents about 10 American manufacturing firms which ■ supply goods ranging from cosmetics to arc welders. “ I expected that measures on these lines would be taken as far back as August.” Mr Coulsen said, “and I then also forecast to my principals the return of the Labour Government. These restrictions, however, came some’ months sooner than I expected, and we were not altogether prepared for them. American manufacturers are not seriously disturbed by the political and economic developments in New Zealand, because their exports to this country represent only about one-half of 1 per cent, of the total output of the firms I represent.” LIST OF BANNED GOODS “BRISTLING WITH INACCURACIES ” 'Per United Ppiv- Association) WELLINGTON, Jan. 7. “ The list is l bristling with inaccuracies.” said the Collector of Customs at Wellington (Mr R. J. Gray), when asked to comment on the Christchurch message purporting to given particulars of ’ the extent to which control is restricting the importation of various classes of goods. He said he had no authority to state particularly where the list was at fault, but the use of the word “ banned ” in connection with certain goods was completely incorrect. The Collectors of Customs at every port were working on > the same set of confidential instructions, laying down the policy to be pursued in dealing with applications for permits, and there was, therefore, no discrimination between the various parts of the Dominion. It was apparent now that some weeks would elapse before the present first batch of applications would all be disposed of, because they were still pouring in, and many firms had not yet submitted their applications. This no doubt was due to some extent to the large amount of work entailed on the part of some firms in preparing the necessary forms. A PROFESSOR’S BROADCAST MR JORDAN LODGES PROTEST (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) LONDON. Jan. 7. (Received Jan. 8, at 6.30 p.m.) Mr W. J. Jordan designates as ex parte, and based on incorrect information unfavourable to New Zealand, Professor N. F. Hall’s broad-

cast on January 4 criticising the New Zealand import control scheme. Mr Jordan protested to the British broadcasting authorities and requested a correction by radio. The matter may be brought up in the House of Commons. Professor Hall is Professor of Political Economy in the University of London. AUSTRALIAN PRESS COMMENT EFFECTS OF NEW POLICY (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) SYDNEY, Jan. 7. The Sydney Morning Herald’s Canberra correspondent says that, although the New Zealand control policy constitutes no legal breach of the trade agreement made with Australia 12 months ago, the imposition of restrictions outside the duties then adopted could reasonably be regarded as a breach of the spirit of the agreement, according to the opinion of officials in Canberra. The effects of the new policv will be discussed by the Federal Cabinet at a meeting at Hobart next month, but no official action is likely to be taken.