INDUSTRIALISTS

Southland Times, Issue 19772, 21 February 1923, Page 5

INDUSTRIALISTS

CONFERENCE IN CHRISTCHURCH. (Per United Press Association). CHRISTCHURCH, February 20. The annual conference of the New Zealand Industrial Federation opened to-day. The delegates were recorded a civic reception, after which Mr W. J. Jenkin delivered his presidential address, which covered a great variety of topics and recorded an appreciation of the work of the Hon. E. P. Lee, ex-Minister of Industries and Commerce. After hearing the deputation from Dunedin it was resolved to support the holding of the Imperial exhibition there in 1925, and that the New Zealand Industrial Exhibition in 1924 should be held in Auckland instead of Dunedin. The great part of the afternoon and evening sessions were taken up with a discussion of the remits, urging a policy of expansion and reorganisation. It was agreed to appoint an organiser. At its sitting this evening, the Industrial Federation decided to urge the Government to re-establish the Dunedin branch of the Department of Industries and Commerce also to improve methods of transport by sea, rail and road throughout the Dominion. A paper on overseas markets was read by Mr J. W. Collins, secretary of the Department of Industries and Commerce. It was decided that manufacturers throughout the Dominion should approach the primary producers,, and with them, endeavour to co-oper-ate with the Department of Industries and Commerce to foster trade with the East. A discussion took place on company taxation and the following motion was carried: “That the attention of the Government be directed towards the granting to manufacturing concerns some relief from existing income tax, and request that the maximum of such tax be reduced to five shillings in the £ and a computation be made on the average of three years as obtains in Britain.”