THE PASSING SHOW.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15185, 10 March 1923, Page 11 (Supplement)

THE PASSING SHOW.

COMMENT AND CRITICISM. (By "Free Lance.") Speaking at a Liberal-Labour rally at Waverley recently Mr W. A. Veitch, M.P., urged the wisdom of developing the Dominion's primary and secondary industries simultaneously. He commented upon the amount of money that went out of the country annually to purchase commodities that could be manufactured here, and gave as an instance wool, the bulk of which was sent away not even scoured. The wool, he said, should be scoured here and also the country's requirements in manufactured goods supplied from the country's own mills. On the face of it this looks all right, as does a further remark that the development of secondary industries would be a godsend to the farmers, for it would tend to give them more stable markets, and relieve them somewhat of dependency upon the vagaries of foreign competition and markets.

From the farmers' point of view, however, the benefit of secondary industries to New Zealand depends a good deal upon the method of their establishment here. If a local industry can turn out an article manufactured locally from locally grown raw material at a price less than, or even not more than the cost of similar articles manufactured in other parts of the British Empire, plus freight charges on the raw material outward and the manufactured article inwards, all well and good. But if that cannot be done without a high protective tariff to assist the locally manufactured article, the farmer naturally isn't very enthusiast'c about paying more for what he needs, just for the pleasure of knowing that it was made in New Zealand. It seems to him that fewer handling charges and no sea freight should enable local manufacturers to convert raw material into finished articles at a low enough price to meet British Empire compet.tion from overseas. If the manufacturer cannot do this the primary producer, who pays for everything in the long run, doesn't see why he should be required to pay more in order to keep the local manufacturer in business.

Anyhow, why should he? If a secondary industry, on the ground, so to speak, cannot keep its end up, may it not be questioned whether the time for establishment of that industry in the Dominion has arrived? Further speculation which arises is whether ed here always devote themselves to lines likely to prove of most value to secondary industries already establishthe Dominion as a whole. In regard to New Zealand-made woollen rugs, it is pretty generally admitted that nothing better of the kind is turned out in the world, and we read in the papers a few months ago that an order had been received from America for a good many thousand of these rugs at a very remunerative price. But unfortunately we read at the same time that the order had to be turned down because the stipulated number could not be supplied. And it is to be supposed that the rugs could not be supplied because a good deal of the woollen mills' activities were devoted to turning out undercothing, hosiery, etc., which could have been manufactured and landed here more cheaply from Britain but for the duty levied to protect the locally-made articles.

Would it not seem better for New Zealand woollen manufacturers to specialise on an article which has already gained wide reputation and can be marketed to bring in money from abroad, than to branch out into lines for which our own people have to pay more than they need do because the local makers say they cannot do without a protective tariff? Rightly or wrongly the average consumer cherishes an idea that Dominion manufacturers base their selling prices at just low enough to meet outside competition (including dutyl without much regard as to whether the actual costs of manufacture would allow sales at a lower figure and still show a reasonable profit. One fancies that farmers as a class have some reason to regard proposals for the establishment of additional secondary industries in New Zealand with a certain amount of coolness until assured that it will not be at a cost of additional customs duties for protective purposes. They may have doubts about Mr Veitch's Godsend.

Since the appearance of a note in this column last Saturday anent the holding of one day of the Sydney Show on Good Friday, "Free Lance" has been informed by an ex-Australian that Good Friday has for years past been one of the Sydney Show dates. Open confession is good for the soul, so I will admit I thought the proposition was a new one. That it is not new, however, makes it no less repugnant. Nor do I think that such a state of affairs is any less to be deplored by reason of having existed fur a considerable period.

Extract from Mr W. R. Parry's address at Hamilton last Saturday: "The Labour Party's land policy, in short, was based on the belief that, if any one person received more than they produced, it must, leave some other person with an insufficiency." It would not, be hard to base any sort of policy on that belief. The trouble would be to obtain an authoritative decision upon what constituted production. Why, even the hated capitalist might claim that his unrighteous wealth assisted in production, and therefore lie was entitled to rank as a producer. In which case, one supposes, the impertinent fellow would have to be suppressed. Which was what the Rolsheviks tried to do in Russia with such singularly successful results upon the well-being of that country.

What are hammer toes? Ono may not know now, but in a few months' time unite a lot of people may suffer j from them. Prince George recently I had sonic "hammer'' toes amputated ; because they interfered with his naval | and social duties. So we, may CXI '■ | many other hammer toe removals , shortly. Nobody knew they had an j appendix until the late King Edward ' was operated on for trouble in that | region, and now operations for appendicitis are are plentiful as leaves in Vallombrosa. So with ten toes to most individuals as against one appendix, "hammer toes" should have a great vogue now people know there are such things, and that Royalty ! sometini' s suffers therefrom. Corns i and chilblains are had enough, but any i.old plebeian can have them