EXPORT OF PROTUCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 January 1923, Page 5

EXPORT OF PROTUCE.

NEW FIELDS OFFERING. REPRESENTATION NECESSARY. BUSINESS MAN’S IMPRESSIONS.. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Mr. J. T. Martin, of Messrs. Wright, Stephenson and Co., Wellington, addressed the members of the Chamber of Commerce to-day cn what he saw and what he thought from a business point of view during his recent visit to England and the United States. He was greatly impressed with the fact that markets were opening up to-day in a way never experienced before, and New Zealand products should therefore be made fully known in every land where trade seems practicable.

Great Britain, which has first call on all New Zealand exports, supplies the finest regular service of insulated and cargo steamers to be found in any part of the world, provides adequate up-to-date cool stores, the unloading machinery in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, Glasgow, and Hull links up with good cable communications, and in countless ways builds up and maintains a direct highway for trading without calling on New Zealand to supply any portion of the capital. And in return for all this New Zealand gives of • its best, responding to all exactions about high quality , and grading, and placing Britain on a preferential footing against the whole world in all its importations of manufactured goods. “Tn return for this preferential treatment by us.** Mr. Martin continued. “Great Britain’s statesmen arc thinking out a way to reciprocate. hut while wo appreciate her good intentions. I must confess I cannot see how anything of. a practical nature can be carried out.

“All talk by politicians of creating, by well-directed propaganda, a disposition or sentiment in the United Kingdom favorable to the use of New Zealand, Australian. Canadian and South African products against, all others, is not only chimerical, hut calculated to

raise false hopes in the Dominions. We nil know that in peace times the average consumer does not concern himself whether the goods he purchases come from Argentine, Denmark or New Zealand, so long as the quality and price are right.” He contrasted the action of the Glasgow Corporation in giving a largo order for tramway rails to the American Steel Corporation with the New Zealand Government’s placing of an order for electrical equipment in England in the face of an American

quotation £15,000 lower. Mr. Martin then proceeded to deal with the prospect of securing foreign markets for New Zealand produce. To encourage trade abroad there must bo adequate representation. “We have no icpresentation in the United States,’’ said Mr. Martin, “excepting an old gentleman in San Francisco who we call our agent and pay £lOO per annflm. This agent is no uro whatever to the commercial community, and though he is a very fine courtly gentleman he is completely out of touch with Now Zea-

land trade. T found from inquiries that Australia and Canada, look after our interests, and both offices agree as to the necessity of an established New Zealand representative. I was assured at the British Embassy that a New Zealand representative would secure a very good hearing at Washington, and receive as much consideration as if representing a country of twice the population and trade.” A description of the activities of the Chambers of Commerce in America was then given by Mr. Martin. “The American Chambers of Commerce.” he said, “have a very high standing in the community. You do not hear there, as you do here, that they accomplish very little and are not sufficiently active.” He did not suggest that New Zealand should copy the. United States Chambers of Commerce; he much preferred the lines on which the British chambers were run, but he would like to see a great deal more attention paid to the deliberations of the mercantile community a« communicated through the Chambers of Commerce in New Zealand than is a-t present the. case. “I have come back from travelling abroad more than ever impressed with the splendid potentialities of this Dominion,” said Mr. Martin, “and I feel sure that if wo concentrate on primary products, which we know how to produce so successfully, and by intensive scientific farming increase their production year by year, there is no occasion for us to foster, by high tariffs And. at the expense of the general community, local industries for manufacturing products in small quantities that can be much more cheaply made in large mass production in Great Britain and other lands.”