STEPS TO RECOVERY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18190, 11 September 1933, Page 2

STEPS TO RECOVERY

EXPERIMENT IN AMERICA great enthusiasm SHOWN •'I heard no adverse comments regardin./ the National Recovery Act in America.” said Mr. I. N. Ambler, ot Auckland, who has returned from a "business visit to Europe and the United States. “Everywhere there was the greatest enthusiasm. It has put new heart into America and a wave of confidence is sweeping over the commercial and industrial life. I was particularly impressed with the keen interest being taken in Canada in these industrial recovery measures. Canadians are watching the course of events very closely, •md it is likely that Canada will attempt to copy some of America’s ideas should they show signs of bringing about something approaching permanent prosperity.” , “ . The workers were elated over I resident Roosevelt’s measures, said Mr. Ambler, because they had brought an immediate increase in wages and a reduction in hours. For the first time in two years the girls employed m the largo department stores in New 1 oik were receiving wages. Since the beginning of the depression they had been paid bonuses on sales in lieu ol wages, earning only two to five dollars a week. Under°the Act, the employers were compelled to pay wages, with the. result that the girls were now receiving up to 13 dollars a week. Striking instances of the beneficial effect of the recovery measures were to be seen on every hand. One Chicago .firm which Mr. Ambler visited had employed 400 additional hands as soon as the'Act came into force, and the General Electric* Company had increased the wages paid to its employees by 11 per cent. “One effect of the Act has been to abolish child labor,” he said. ‘What Europe has been trying to do for 50 years has been done in America practically overnight Mr. Vi abler said enthusiasm tor T.R.A..” as the Industrial Recovery Administration was called, was equally shared by the employers of labor. A special board had been set up to consider unfair competition through undercutting of prices, and wherever it could be shown that low prices were injuring ether businesses convulsion was brought to bear to make the firms who were vnjler-seiling their competitors increase their prices. Mr. Ambler said he was more than ever convinced of the menace of cheap Japanese goods. At the same time as the cotton trade in England was looking brighter and cotton piece goods in Manchester were- commanding higher prices, Japanese cotton goods were pouring into England and tint Empire countries and underselling the British article. “Japanese materials are so cheap that ■English manufacturers are being steadily forced to purchase their requirements in Japan rather than in England, and I know of one English shirt-manufacturer whose goods are all made from the Japanese article,” said Mr. Ambler. “The position is extremely dangerous from the point of view of British trade and something will have to be done very shortly to preserve British industry. Only one of two things can be. done—either Japanese goods must be prohibited altogether or such high tariffs must be imposed as will in effect prohibit importations.” While in Suva, Mr. Ambler visited a number of stores, and found that British-made goods could not be sold owing to the ridiculously low prices at which Japanese articles were being offered. • '-.I