BAN ON IMPORTS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 27, 3 February 1939, Page 9

BAN ON IMPORTS

REACTION IN ENGLAND TALK OF RETALIATION I ’ I "SMOTHERING ENTERPRISE” | LONDON, Jan. 12. I British traders have been consider-I ably perturbed by the decision of the New Zealand Government to restrict imports of many classes of good;. Imports of no fewer than 17 kinds of United Kingdom manufactures will be prohibited. The ban has resulted in numerous letters of protest being published in English newspapers, states the London correspondent of the Auckland Herald. The value of the exports now pro- 1 hibited amounted in 1936, the latest | year for which complete returns are | available, to more than £600,000, the ■ principal items being;—Boots and! shoes, £276,000; artificers’ tools,£183,000; cocoa, £39,500; soap, £27,000; ; confectionery, £25,500; clocks, £16,000; i ales, £14,000. Mr. Guy Locock, Director of the; Federation of British Industries, said I that the new measures would be con- ■ sidered by the Empire section of the, federation. Other comments on the restrictions published in the Daily Telegraph and j Morning Post, included the follow-, ing:—Mr. H. Eyles, secretary of the; Birmingham Chamber of Commerce: : “Manufacturers in the trades affected j will find their apprehensions justified., It is a severe blow to British indus-, try and is likely to lead to a demand ■ for strong representations by the: British Government.”

Mr. Baker, secretary of the Birmingham branch of the National Union of Manufacturers: “Under the Ottawa agreement we agreed to buy New Zealand butter and agricultural products if New Zealand bought manufactured goods from us. We can hardly be expected to buy their produce when they are banning some of our manufactured goods. The list of banned imports will hit a lot of British manufacturers.” The Times devoted a leading article to “Import Licences in New Zealand.” The concluding paragraph reads:—“Whether the results will accord with the Government’s intentions is, however, another matter. All experience shows that systems of this kind once introduced, tend to increase in severity and complexity un til they bring trade to a standstill by smothering all business enterprise under a load of detailed regulations and restrictions.’’