RUSSIAN GOODS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 12, 15 January 1932, Page 12

RUSSIAN GOODS

EMBARGO WANTED BUSINESSMEN’S REQUEST. i “I understand that their industries! are based on conditions that no British community could stand up against.’’ said the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) when replying to M” H. Holland, M.P., who waited on him with a request that he should use his endeavours in the direction of having a complete embargo placed on the importation of all Russian products into British territory. Mr Holland said that he had been, approached by a number of business men who had asked him to bring the matter under Mr Forbes’ notice. Russian products, stated Mr Holland, were coming into unfair competition with Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, as they could be sold by that country at prices which •could not be faced by its competitors. Even if a duty of 4d per lb. were placed on Russian butter by Great Britain the effect would not be to assist the Dominion for the reason that such butter would still be profitable to Russia owing to the conditions under which it was turned our. Russian products could be sold at low prices because in that country no standard wages were paid. Mr Holland quoted timber and matches as two lines which were being produced at prices against- whi’ch New Zealand could not expect to compete. In reply, the Prime Minister said that he had not yi t had an opportunity of ascertaining what quantity of Russian goods came into the Dominion, but he would have the matter looked into. While it was desirable to foster local industries, to exclude all the goods of a country was an Empire matter. No country had yet done such a thing, so far as he was aware. Mr Holland could rest assured, however, that the Government was alive to the danger of the position and was obtaining all the information it could regarding it.