IMPORTS FROM EAST

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17957, 8 December 1932, Page 9

IMPORTS FROM EAST

MANUFACTURERS’ CONCERN PROBLEM OF COMPETITION Tho menace of imports from Eastern countries, more particularly Japan, to British and New Zealand manufcturing interests was the subject of comment at a meeting of the Auckland Manufacturers’ Association. It was reported that the association had forwarded to the British trade commissioner’s office in Wellington a resolution drawing attention to the quantity of Eastern goods being imported into the Dominion, to the detriment of British manufactures. It was desired , that New* Zealand manufacturers should bo put in the position of obtaining their supplies of raw materials from Great Britain or other Empire countries. Tho resolution cont inued that .the opinion was freely expressed that. Japanese textiles and other articles, owing partly to depreciated currency and cheap labor, could bo imported at prices with which the manufacturers importing British materials could not compete. Tho association’s policy was New Zealand goods tirst, but, after that, manufacturers dosired to purchase all their requirements that ‘could possibly be obtained from Britain.

in reply, the assistant British trade commissioner, Mr. G. Muntz, said competition from Japan and the Far East generally was a matter which had beon receiving serious consideration by all interested in promoting trade between the •onstituont part's of the British Empire. Me had already bad several discussions with authorities in New Zealand on tho subject. He feared that the problem of how to meet the competition was by no means easy of solution, but he would forward a copy of the association’s opinion to the department in Lbndon. On the motion of Mr. F. N. Ambler, ti motion was carried stating that the association viewed with alarm the increase in imports from the East, when tho majority of the goods could be supplied hy Great Britain.