RECIPROCAL TRACE

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 85, 26 June 1930, Page 5

RECIPROCAL TRACE

SPEECH BY H.M. TRADE COMMISSIONER, AT SOUTH TARANAKI WINTER SHOW OPENING. The twenty-first South Taranaki Winter Show was yesterday declared officially open by Mr. L. A.. Paish, His- Majesty's Trade Commjissioner in New Zealand.

Mr. J. R. Corrigan, chairman of the Winter Show Company, extended a welcome to Mr. Paish, stressing the necessity for Britain to take stock of her position and give preference to those who desired to trade within the Empire.

Mr. Corrigan was supported by Messrs. E. A. Pacey, Mayor of Hawera, and Mr. H. G. Dickie, M.P. Mr. Paish said there had been many Empire Shopping Weeks, but rot. so many as he would like to see. In Cauada shopping weeks were held in 20 towns and cities simultaneously, and ho thought it could be claimed that throughout the Empire tiie idea was taking root.

EMPIRE MARKETING BOARD. In Great Britain the Empire Mar. keting Board was provided with £l,000,000 per annum for the purpose of fostering -the development of the sale of Empire produce on the British market, and part of this money wajs devoted to the assistance of shopping weeks. The operations of the Board were having a great effect on the prosperity of the Empire as a whole. The Board ran a shop in Glasgow, where Empire products were featured in turn. During the fortnight devoted to New Zealand products 32,000 sales were made to Glajsgow people. As in the past, Britain was still endeavouring to give other parts of the Empire all the assistance in its power towards their economic development. Compared with pre-war days there had been an increase in the percentage of trade of the United Kingdom with the Empire. In preuwar days Britain derived 24.87 per cerit t of its imports from the Empire, and today the figure was 26.12. In exports of the United Kingdom the figures were 37.18 pre war and 41 today. However, in the past three years there had heen a steady de. crease in both the import and export trade between Great Britain and the Empire, and part of the speaker's mission was to change that tendency as far as New Zealand was concerned. Great Britain took 99 per cent of New Zealand's cheese, lamb and mutton and of the whole of New Zealand's exports 73 per cent, went to Great Britain.

BRITISH IMPORTS. For the past three yearal the percentages of New Zealand imports coming from Great Britain were 47.93, 47.43 and 46.24. It was in the interest of New Zealand that this state of affairs should be changed. Britain could «aot buy New Zealand's products if New Zealand did not buy Britain's. Unemployment in Britain meant that many people could not afford to pay for New Zealand butter, and they either -.used cheap substitutes or did without it altogether. Therefore, he asked the New Zealand people to give British goods a trials H they did so he was convinced they would find that not only were tne y °i Det " ter quality than foreign, but cheaper in the long run. Taranaki dairy companies could help by buying British goods. Every year New Zealand factories paid £50,000 for Continental parchment for wrapping butter, last year £12,000 was paid to the United States for cheese-cloth, and £32,000 was sent annually to Japan for meat cloth. 'As regards hats, New Zealand spent £40,000 a year on Italian hats and £15,000 on American. Why was it that 95 per cent, of the real silk stockings coming inAmerican etaoin

to the Dominion came from the North American continent —from countries which did their best to restrict the market for New Zealand produce? He had been assured that the British product was not only superior in quality but actually cheaper, value for value. Mr; Paish concluded by saying: May I ask all in your own interests to get this 'buy British' habit in your mind when making your own personal /purohaises.| iGet into the habit of asking when you buy, 'ls it British?' If wo could only get the men and women of New Zealand to dio this when making their own personal purchases, we should soon seca substantial rise in the price of butter on the London market.