EMPIRE SHOPPING

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17438, 9 April 1931, Page 11

EMPIRE SHOPPING

APPEAL TO HOUSEWIVES TRADE DEVELOPMENT LONDON, Feb. 17. "Wo hear more about Empire today than since the days of Joseph Chamberlain,'' said Mr. Ford, commercial manager of the Clyde Navigation Trust, in an address on "Empire Shopping, and How We Can Help,'' given at Over-Seas House, Pririces street, Edinburgh. There was a very real desire on the part of the populace, lie said, to hold out a welcoming hand ill trade to our kith and kin in the Dominions.

The Kail of Cassillis, who presided, referred to conditions of unemploymen! in ( miadu in spite of a. bumper harvest, which he attributed to the preference some people had for buying what they wanted from Bussi.-i and elsewhere, instead of from within I lie Umpire.

"\Ve have a duty to our kali and kin in the Dominions," said .Mr. Ford,

"ami it is in connection with that duty that I am here lo make an appeal. Tiie development of Empire trade, ho contended, was in the. hands of the housewives of Great Britain, ft was up to everyone of them to insist on getting her food supplies, such as could not he produced in this country, from within the Empire, lie compared the enormous amount of our imports, from Soviet Russia, Sweden. Denmark, and the United States with the comparatively small amount exported by us to them. He then referred at length to the resources of Ntw Zealand, with special reference to the recent terrible disaster, and said that every £1,000,000 of goods we bought from the Dominions was opening up the way for £I,OCO,COO coming back here to (lie relief of our own unemployment problem. lie advised housewives to buy New Zealand butter, wliich he 'jlaimed was liner than any imported from the Continent, The Xew Zetiiandcrs, also suffering from the general world depression, were British to the very core, bid America. Japan, and (lerniauy were absolutely begging at their doors lor trade. lbdid not wish to raise anything in Ihe nature of a false ularm, lint lie thought 'here must come a lime when, if w e were not going to put forward every ifforl !n keep these far oil' Dominions, Foreign penetration anil foreign trade would have then- effect.

Coming lo specilic article-- of food, he said that Kmpirc grown dried fruits Were cleaner than those coming from Smyrna and elsewhere. As far the kittori Dr. I laden Ouest had siu'd that the British housewife would never buy them if she knew ihe conditions under which they were produced, lie recommended aimed fruits from Canada and Australia, eggs from Australia and Smith Africa- both of which countries were anxious to develop their egg hade. lie also deprecated (he buying of meat from South Amtrieu. His slogan lo flic housewives, in fact, was; "Mo more South American meal; no more dried fruits from Smyrna; no more Continental butler," while they could get il from (lev- own people lie asked housewives, if they found that the shops will, which I hey' dealt did not stock Knipire goods, to send the names ami addresses of such shops to Over-Seas House, when he would see thai they were handed on lo the big importers.