AN OUTSPOKEN OPINION

Thames Star, Volume LIX, Issue 16625, 22 October 1925, Page 5

AN OUTSPOKEN OPINION

REGARDING BRITISH TRADE. SECURE DOMINION BUSINESS. ALL-BRITISH LEAGUE OF NATIO The Editor of “The Jeweller,” a monthly publication issued in England, lashes his readers‘in a few pithy remarks regarding British export trade*. He says:— * As a nation we owe an apology to the Dominions for having such a damnfool policy in connection with our export trad6. If ever we needed to do more business with our kinsmen overseas, it is now. Wo have more than a million and a quarter unemployed. We have idle factories, and we are paying out in doles in England enough money to develop and populate the waste places of every Dominion we’ve got. We have every facility for the biggest Leaguo of Nations ever dreamed of—and all British at that—yet our Government adds burden to burden on our already absurd taxation, -thereby putting np all production charges, and as if that were not enough, chooses this moment to go back to the gold standard, raising British prices in every market of the world.

To quote one example only—Canada. When 1 was there last year, the rate of exchange was 4.40. That gave»us an advantage over American competition and enabled the Canadian to buy British goods. To-day, we are at 4.86 —equivalent to a 10 per cent, advance, having a terrific struggle to hold the market. There’s no reason for it, except that British financial policy is dictated by the interests of the moneylenders and bankers, while, for all our rulers seem to care, business can go to the devil.

This is pretty plain language, but it’s true. Even the Federation of British Industries has at last got tired of having our policy dictated by questionable financiers, and in a report just issued attributes the present parlous condition of our export trade to our post-war monetary policy., That’s all very well, but if we wait for tjie Government to get our export trade back ’for us, we shall wait till the millennium—and then it won’t be needed. The only difference between Governments is that all are bad. but some are worse. Our fool legislators have done more harm to British business in six months than the business men can put right in five years, but somehow or otlipr, it’s got to be put right, and it can only he done as far as export/ trade is concerned by the British manufacturer getting down his costs of production by more than the amount the difference of exchange has sent the selling price up. As far its my own firm is concerned, we’ve done it. AVe’ve cut down our number of patterns to half—it’s still plenty big enough. We.’ve put another hour on the workings week —it’s now 48, instead of 47. and we’re paying for all production by results only. Day work has had to go. We’re awfully sorry for' the fellow who can’t work as fast as he might, but we can only base production, if we are to do business abroad. ( on the most efficient labour available.

Also we’ve cut overhead charges. It’s very nice to have a crowd of handsome and distinguished-looking gentlemen floating around the premises, but as we can’t nay on the colour of their eyes, but only on the orders they get or the production they turn out, we’ve lost quite a lob of them—those left are doing about twice as much as they did before. We still plav golf and tennis, lint, not between eight in the morning and seven at night—there’s too much to do. . And we keep on advertising. This article is part of our advertisement scheme'. It's no use our doing these tilings in England if we don’t tell the world about it. The overseas market is jfche biggest thing this country has, and as far as this firm is concerned, we don’t intend to lose it—not on vour life.

There’s one thing, though, outside the direct control of the British manufacturer, and that’s the cost of transport. It’s too high—far too high. We’ve cut our prices to the bone to -meet it, but there’s one thing more we will be glad to co-operate with our customers on.

In the case of big shipments', it’s not so bad. In the case of very small lots, they can come by post. The trouble is the order from £lO to £2O If you are ordering that amount, will you let us have the name of any other house in your district that you would be willing to run a joint shipment with, or if you are ordering additional supplies from some other firms in this country, we could arrange to ship the goods along with theirs. This would Cut transport- costs by a lot—and wc want to cut them. Tf you can suggest any other or better method, let’s hear from you. We are out for that overseas business. Tf you have a pattern that suits your special market, and you have difficulty in obtaining it, send us a sample. We’ll make anything that our plant is capable of, provided there’s a- demand, whether we’ve done it before or not. .

Believe me, some of us do recognise the need for getting closer together with our brothers overseas. We’re all citizens of the same Empire, and we don’t propose to forget that for any gang of wooden-headed political backnumbers. •