EMPIRE OR N.Z.?

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20418, 24 September 1934, Page 7

EMPIRE OR N.Z.?

Difficulties in Home Trade Labels. TOURIST’S OBSERVATIONS. “ New Zealand is not as well known in England as we Think it is," said Mr P. Agar, a Christchurch stock broker, who returned yesterday after a sixmonths' visit to the United Kingdom. Although New Zealand was well advertised bv shop displays and other means, there still existed in London considerable confusion as to what goods were New Zealand goods, he said. The trouble lay in the extensive use of the word “ Empire ” to describe goods that were made or came from anywhere apart from the United Kingdom. The people of England did not think of the various Dominions as separate entities, said Mr Agar. In the general mind there was a desire to support Empire products, but this left room for misrepresentation. While one shop had a particular line of New Zealand goods selling at a certain price, the shop over the way might have a similar line of goods of inferior quality and cheaper in price which was labelled ' “ Empire.” It might come from New i Zealand or anywhere else—but if a customer asked for New Zealand goods it depended on the honesty of the shopkeeper whether he got them or not. Catering For Prejudice. The innate conservatism of the British people was a matter for difficulty in trade, he said. It was difficult for us to understand some of their prejudices and to cater for them. For instance he had been surprised at the small size of the apples displayed for sale in the London fruit shops. He had inquired the reason and had been told that the Londoner wanted them that way. When he bought a pound of apples he wanted six apples and not three big ones, and considerations such as quality did not always matter. Similarly, in mutton and lamb he wanted small joints. These set ideas were deeply founded, and it would be very difficult to change them. Many things surprised Mr Agar. He discovered for one thing that Australian and New Zealand butter was used in Lyons's restaurants for the making of ice-cream. And, skipping to another phase, the system of charging taxi fares had some complications. When he first went to London he used taxis, but after a short period he discovered that not only were buses and tube-railways much cheaper but also much quicker. The taxi-meters were attached in some way to the motors of the cars and the passenger was charged not for mileage but for the time the engine was running. The threepences mounted up very quickly in traffic blocks, he found. In London and Paris.

Like other overseas tourists, he found traffic conditions extremely bad and was not surprised that the weekly average of injured from accident causes totalled 5000. The new’ traffic regulations were assisting, but it was surprising to find that simple precautions such as marked crossing places for pedestrians—such as there were in Chritchurch—were only now being utilised.

Mr Agar made a visit to Paris, but found that the 10s exchange against the New Zealand £ made it a very unprofitable venture and militated considerably against his appreciation of the French capital. Tourists were docking to London, he said, and one met all nationalities there. London was a very busy city at present, with the building trade in particular booming. Everywhere new buildings were going up. One development that New Zealand might well copy was the recent decision of the British Post and Telegraph Department to reduce telephone charges by 25 per cent. No great variation in the price levels of England and New Zealand was noticed by Mr Agar. Some things were cheaper, but on the whole there was not much difference. In woollen goods New' Zealand could more than hold her own. In England, he said, one paid as much or more and did not get the same quality.