The Taranaki Herald. DAILY EVENING MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 1919. TRADING WITH GERMANY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16504, 4 August 1919, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. DAILY EVENING MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 1919. TRADING WITH GERMANY.

A cable received from Loudon (wo or three days ago stated that “tUe Board of .trade in a circular urges morcliauts to initiate a big campaign to capture German markets. The department states that the Government wishes to encourage British trade with Germany. Our export trade must bo developed in every way. Moreover, trade with G ; eimany will hasten the payments for reparation.'’ AVc have always realised that sooner or later trade with Getmanv would be. resumed, but we did not think it would he quite so soon as this, or that the British Government would take upon itself to urge an immediate resumption. Apparently, however, the Government is of a particularly forgiving nature and is prepared to let bygones bo bygones. It was a German philosopher, Schopenhauer, who wrote that “to forgive and forget is to throw away dearly-bought experience.’’ Those, words rather aptly apply. The British Government. knowing that out of the profits of Iter foreign trade Germany built her navy and to a great extent trained and maintained her army, knowing that these weapons were acquired for the purpose of world conquest, and, knowing by the bitter experience of the last five years how nearly she achieved that object, yet urges British traders immediately peace is declared to resume trade with Germany, so that the latter may - build up her wealth again and as soon as opportunity offers reconstruct her navy and army in anticipation of that other da a* when the war shall he resumed without any mistakes on the part of Germany. The Board of ’trade circular docs not, of course, say all this. It holds out as an inducement, however, that trading with Germany will hasten the payment for reparation. This is a singularly weak and illogical reason for the resumption of trade. It would no doubt hasten the payment for reparation if Groat Britain was prepared to accept German goods without sending British goods in exchange. But the Board of

Trade says export trade must be developed in every way. It in fact contemplates an exchange of trade, in wlrich case accounts will he balanced and there will be no ’surplus to come to England for reparation, or else Germany, if she is to he able to pay for reparation. will he making a big profit out of flic trade, in "Ti,.|, case it will amount practically to tins, that Britain will U- providing Germany with the means to pay for reparation. "Wo prefer, however, to view the whole question from a different standpoint, and not to regard it as a matter of pounds, shillings, and pence. AVc cannot forget that the German people applauded the sink--in g of the Lusitania, and supported their war lords in all their fiendish methods of warfare, and that they sang their hymns of hate 'from their hearts. Such people are not fit to trade with until they have made reparation and shown real signs ol repentance of their sins, none of which wo have yet been able to detect. Even it we lost something by refusing to pick uj* the lost threads of trade with Germany where they were dropped live years ago we would still refuse to pick them up. And that, we believe, is the general feeling in this Dominion. Mr. Massey said some weeks ago j in England that New Zealand I would not resume trade with Germany for a hundred years, and wo believe New Zealanders honour him for his outspokenness. The spirit of the people of the Dominion is exemplified in flic decision of the Dunedin City Uoaucil a week ago to give an order for some machinery to a British firm in preference to an American, although the American firm's price was £BOO less than the British and delivery was promised in five mouths instead of nine. The Dunedin City Council is determined in its .small way to encourage British trade even though it lias to pay a heavy price to do so. But the British Board of Trade urges British manufacturers to “initiate a big campaign to capture German markets.’’ The logical corollary of this, under present conditions of British industry, is that something else must he neglected while the effort is being made to re-open trade with Germany. Or to apply it more exactly, the Board of Trade might say to the British manufacturers: “Never mind that order from Dunedin; they can wait; get after that German trade quick and lively.” And at the same time the Imperial authorities will buy (or commandeer) New Zealand produce at prices perhaps fifty per cent, below what Germany would pay for it. What is Mr. Lloyd George thinking about? Is he in favour of forgiving and forgetting?