FOREIGN TRADE PROBLEM

Taranaki Daily News, 18 July 1929, Page 11

FOREIGN TRADE PROBLEM

DIFFICULTIES OF TARIFFS __ ,i. ' SCHOOLBOY IMMIGRATION ADDRESS-IN-REPLY- DEBATE By Tdlegra.p'li—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The debate on the Address-in-Reply was continued in the House of Representatives to-night by the Hon. J. G. Cobbe, who said that when the tariffs were being considered the Government would take care that nothing would be done that would injure the farmers'. Referring. to the bank rate he said the price of money depended on world conditions. The statement that it had cost the country £2,000,000- to change the Government could not be substantiated, and he disagreed with the as»sertion. that the Reform .administration had left the finances of the country in such a state that a deficit was unnecessary. - ■ ■ Mr. Cobbe defended the scheme of bringing English public schoolboys to New Zealand, stating • that while the cost was somewhat heavy, these young men would provide a desirable type of settler. He did not think it was right, however,, that New Zealand boys should find it difficult to obtain positions on the land when English boys readily obtained employment, and. he had made arrangements for an endeavour to be made to see that New Zealand 'boys were given an equal oppbrtunity. < The position in respect to trade with the United States was most unsatisfactory os New Zealand had been importing exceedingly more from that country that it had been exporting to it, and if the United States tariff rateswere increased against New Zealand, as had been foreshadowed, the position would be even worse. It was a pleasant contrast to compare the trade relations with Canada, and he hoped the relationship between the two Dominions would be even further advanced. Trade with the East was unsatisfactory as New Zealand bought three times as much as it sold, though Japan’s pur-' chases of New Zealand wool had increased.

EMPIRE ECONOMIC UNION.

Mr. Cobbe firmly believed in. an Em* pire economic union but that state did not yet exist in the realm of practical politics. It was regrettable that all parts of the Empire did not realise how much could be gained by the development of inter-Empiro trade. He knew no remedy for the unequal trad-: ing conditions with- other nations than free trade, within the Empire and a tariff against foreign cduntries which bad imposed a tariff against New Zealand.

Mr. D. W. Lysnar said lie wished te make a personal explanation as to hia position. He had always been independent. and had put country befofiy party. He had stood by the Reform Party when in his opinion it had dona the right thing, and. he had opposed it when it had done the wrong thing. Ho would adopt the same attitude towards the United Party. He considered Mi’. Coates a most suitable man to lead Parliament. He knew the Reform Party had its sins. Its leader had tried to do its best for the country but had been hindered by a section of the Reform Party which had acted as a clog ia the wheels of' progress. That seetioa bad now been, practically eliminated. Mr. Lysnar hoped the present Government would bring the efforts of the late Prime Minister into full fruit. He said the only possible remedy for un« ; employment was the elimination of trusts. There would be no prosperity until that end had been achieved. Ho referred to the operations of trusts ill England and America and stated that the United States had realised the dan--gers of the system and had eliminated it. Feeling was now growing in England against these combines, and he hoped the present Government in New Zealand would make a solid effort to deal with the matter. If it did 80 the prosperity of the country would steadily increase. Mr. Lysnar complained against the failure of British producers to endeavour to meet the requirements of- New Zealand purchasers, and stated that if further protection were to be given British goods the manufacturers should see that thejr products were of the type New Zealand required. If instead of finding money for unemployment the Government provided finance for farmers to develop and improve their lands, the difficulty would disappear. Hi strenuously opposed giving unemployment relief to single men; they should be made self-reliant; they should bl told to get out of the towns and gl into the country to look for work. The debate was. adjourned and the House rose at 10.38 p.m.