FOREIGN IMPORTS

Taranaki Daily News, 20 December 1932, Page 11

FOREIGN IMPORTS

, .’INVASIONBY JAPAN • '" • •■ ■ -■ “A.MOST SERIOUS THING.’* , SOME ILLUMINATING FIGURES. Auckland, December 15. • “I have just returned from a. tour-nf the country and I have been astounded . at the wide -variety of goods coming in T/j from the East," remarked Mr. F. N. Ambler in an attack on Japanese , im- : portations at a meeting .of. the council- j of the Auckland Chamber of .Commerce. “The swamping of this country with cheap goods from the. Bast manufactured . by cheap- labour-is a most serious thing for our own and British Industrie*, ■ which, cannot hope to - compete against ■ ' ■ the low-priced Eastern .products.” -_■ ■. • Mr. Ambler quoted the . case of white tennis shoes' which: were being, imported in huge-' quantities from, Japan •at the . : • declared, price of 10s 3d, per. dozen pairs. In 1930, 953 dozen pairs of Japanese shoes were imported. In 1931 the importations rose to 9253 dozen pairs, while, during;the first nine months of this year, they reach- • ed the astounding figure of > 19,631 dozen . pairs. A lineof textiles costing 10$d a yard from Britain could be landed at 3jd a yard if imported from Japan. Japanese tooth brashes were imported .to the value of £l2O . during the first'three months of . the present year, but in October / alone /-■ importations were . valued at-. £4005.-an<i the price was_2id-a tooth brush. Retailers, he added, were not desirousrf/J of selling Japanese?goods in preference to British,. but they were compelledto do so, knowing that if they - refused ’ 'ly others would not and the profit on Jap- : < anese goods was Invariably high. - r . The secretary. Dr. E. P. Neale, sup- ; plied the following figures regarding trade -with Japan:—Exports 1927, £252,000; 1928, £658,000; 1929, £429,0d0; i 1930, £155,000; >1931,'- 1932 . (nine - • months), £221,000. Imports from Japan: 1927, £592,000; 1928, £576,000; 1929, £626,000;. ’ 1930, £565,000; -1931, £304,000; 1932 (nine months), £373,000. • ... '. If was decided to ask all sections of ;! < the chamber, including importers -and exporters, to consider the y questitm’' of Japanese trade and furnish a repo-* .. /•'