THE BRITISH MANUFACTURER

Southland Times, Issue 17664, 23 February 1916, Page 5

THE BRITISH MANUFACTURER

AS ENTERPRISING AS EVER. WILL, WIN OUT IN THE TRADE WAR. TRADE COMMISSIONER'S SPEECH. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, February 22. Mr R. W. Dalton, British Trade Commissioner in New Zealand, was the guest at a New Zealand Club luncheon to-day. The war, Mr Dalton said, had taught i them a number of lessons. Not the least of those wos that trade was essential in the national welfare. It was more essential in war time than in peace. The Germans could take credit to themselves for one thing, that they had done more to create trade enthusiasm in England than anything that had happened since the King made his remarkable speech to the business.' men of England, asking them to “wake up.” Immediately after war broke out there was absolute stagnation, produced by a lack of confidence, that quickly passed away. If they could go to England now they would see a considerable change. Unemployment was down to 1 per cent There was one set purpose before manufacturers and before working people, and it was this, that whatever happens the war has to be won, the requirements of the Admiralty and the War Office have to be filled, and if necessary general trade must suffer. It was the popular fashion to discredit British manufacturers, and unfortunately that fashion was more popular in the dominions than in any other part of the world. Personally he strongly objected to it. They could never forget that Britain had taught the world how to manufacture and how to trade. For generations we held an absolute monopoly of the manufacturing industries of the trade of the world. It was unreasonable to suppose they could hold that monopoly for all time, and that Germany an important country with enormous natural resources, should not become a very keen competitor. But he contended that there was no manufacturer in the world who was more enterprising, more readv to provide what is wanted, than the British manufacturer. He contended that it was the duty of the dominion to stand by British manufacturers. The British manufacturer was fighting the battle of the Empire just as much as the armies in the field and he was perfectly sure that New Zealand, which sent its forces out to fight with those of Britain, would stand by Britain commercially until and after the war was over. He asked only that the traders of New Zealand give British manufacturers a chance. The manufacturers would do the very best they could to supplv them, and he strongly advised the traders of the dominion to hang on to their agencies. He did not see how they could possibly turn their back on the manufacturers of Britain, and he contended that it would be in their own interests to stand by them, because the manufacturers in Britain had neier been more enterprising than at the present time. The production of war material has necessarily meant reformation and development, and the British manufacturer was going into the trade war after the nresent war with his mind made up to win “And you can take it from me that he is going to win out,” declared Mr Dalton, amid applause.