TRADE WITHIN EMPIRE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19584, 8 June 1926, Page 8

TRADE WITHIN EMPIRE

DEVELOPMENT OF SECONDARY INDUSTRIES ADVOCATED BY MR VEITCH. 4< lhe best that New Zealand can do for the Empire is to strengthen New Zealand as a part of it. If everv part of the Empire will strengthen ’itself we will get a stronger and greater Empire than we can get in any other way. ” This semark was made by Air W. A. \ eitch, M.P., at last night’s meeting of the Wanganui Chamber of Commerce, when speaking on the subject of trade within the Empire. The speaker suggested that they should make a special effort to develop secondary industries within the country. If they limited their efforts to merely encouraging trade with Britain they would simply weaken one part of the Empire tu strengthen another. He would like to see a concentrated effort to develop the wealth of their own country. They had a rapidly increasing population, and with the price of farm produce coming down to a permanent level and the Public lX*bt increasing, they would have to improve their financial position or otherwise they would cease to be much use as a part of the Empire. He believed the only way to surmount their difficulties would be to adopt a new line for manufacturing their primary products so as to create a higher value for them before they were sold. Value of Hydro. Mr Veitch advocated the manufacture of their products within the country, and pointed out that Australia was making vast progress in this direction. With hydro-electric power at the Dominion’s disposal, they could manufacture goods at a lower rate than Australia. They still adhered to the idea that they were a primary producing country and must sell their valuable products at low prices. The chairman (Mr John Coull) said that there was no doubt there were great possibilities along the line suggested by Mr Veitch. Recently the Hamilton Chamber suggested, with a view to encouraging Empire trade, that business firms, etc., should have on their envelopes some slogan emphasising the necessity of this. In reply to the local Chamber’s inquiries the Postal Department advised that there was no objection under the Postal Regulations to such a course being adopted.

It was decided to inform the Hamilton body that their suggestion was approved of. It was also agreed to hand the suggestion of advertising on correspondence on to the London Chamber of Commerce and local business firms for adoption.