MOMENTOUS YEAR

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 289, 7 December 1939, Page 12

MOMENTOUS YEAR

POSITION OF DOMINION MANUFACTURERS TURNING POINT IN N.Z/S ECONOMIC HISTORY PROBLEM OF LABOI K IN WARTIME I Per Pro Association.] WELLINGTON, Dec. 6. Addressing the annual conference of the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Association the president, Mr. H. B. Duckworth, said Jt would be admitted without hesitation that the past year had been the most important and momentous period in the history of the country. The declaration of war and the general situation of the world made them feel that matters and troubles which in conference a year ago they held to be of prime improtance had faded to comparative insignificance. Whatever they could do towards assisting the war effort would not bear comparison with the heavy burden being carried by those in the Old Country. If the war continued any length of time and New Zealand sent a force overseas it would at once become plain that the immediate problem under war conditions would be to do more work with fewer men and produce more to pay for the enormously greater expenditure made necessary in the piiod of war. They had been anxiously awaiting a lead from the Government in the matter of expansion of the supply of labour, especially in those industries already meeting heavy demands for war supplies and equipment. He was sure that by co-operation and a spirit of give and take employers and workers would be able to arrive at a reasonable basis for action. Import Control. Mr. Duckworth proceeded to review the position in regard to import control and selection, and co-related inis with what he termed the turning point in the history of New Zealand’s economic progress, the recognition that the upward limit of the united Kingdom market for the primary produce of the Dominions was now in sight, ifnd that m addition the United Kingdom must, in addition, encourage and expand her own agricultural industries, and the Dominions conversely must increase their population in the only direction possible, that being by expansion of their manufacturing industries. He said that New Zealand must gel every penny of value out of her exports in the future by importing nothing if it could be made in New Zea- • land. He said that sufficient exchange I must be made available for the 1941 ; requirements of industry. Otherwise.' the unemployment problem would be- ; come greater than ever before. They l relied on the Government to see that I industries that had expanded in accordance with the encouragement • given, would shortly find their actions had been justified.