TRADE WITH RUSSIA.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 732, 8 April 1933, Page 9

TRADE WITH RUSSIA.

Dear Sir, —Jas. Mackay’s statement that I give precedence of trade to consideration for the lives of the Vickers’ employees is an absolute distortion of what I wrote and an attempt to disguise the point at issue. His argument that if Britain ceases to trade with Russia it will create more unemployment in England and therefore curtail our exports to the Home market is curious reasoning. Recent statistics prove that the balance of trade between Russia and England is most unfair to England, because of the uncontrolled dumping that has been proceeding up to now. The more Russia dumps into England, the smaller the market for New Zealand. You recently published figures showing that New Zealand is Britain’s best customer per capita; therefore my suggestion that we have the prior claim is both fair and reasonable. I cannot understand why anyone living in this country, and therefore dependent on its production, would give preference to the U.S.S.R. Mr Mackay’s reference to the famous trial of the Mensheviki clearly shows

that he is biased in favour of Russia and gets his information from a Communistic source. Authentic reports of the trial exposed it as a travesty of justice, comparable with the “ Mock Court” held in the Square last Friday, without the saving grace of humour.—l am, etc., N.Z. FIRST.