Page 16 Advertisements Column 1

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18421, 30 June 1925, Page 16

AT7CTTONS. H. MATSON AND 00. H. MATSON & CO. take the liberty of repeating the following articles in our column •which appeared in the "Mercantile Gazette o£ New Zealand" on June 24th, 1925—and they nre more than worth the consideration of every producer, large and small. ENGLAND AS OUR CUSTOMED Private advices from persons in the engineering and steel business report that the fctate of industry in England is in a deplorable condition, and notwithstanding the efforts of the newspapers to minimise the trouble, there iB every probability that the country will bo presented with problems requiring the highest statesmanship to solve. Xhould it be impossible to find Bome way in which England can regain her export trade, a cataclysm will occur which will shake the industrial and social systems of the country to their very foundations. England is not alone in her trouble; every nation, with one exception, is feeling the after-effects of the titanic struggle, which not only caused thousands of millions which had been saved by toil and struggle to disappear, but drew heavy drafts upon the future, the payment of which will, for half a century or more, keep the inhabitants of the country affected in metaphorical chains and slavery. The factor which at present, perhaps more than any other, is operating adversely against the European Continental nations is the taxation ■which is now levied. In England, the incometax destroys all initiative, prevents the formation of necessary reserves, and cripples business expansion. The French, although their Government has continually postponed the evil day, must now grapple with the problem, as they are fast Bearing that stage •when ruthless demands must be mado upon tho taxpayers or the Government will be compelled to increase the note issue, in which case the experience of Germany will be repeated, and the franc, which iB now xtablised round about 90 will fall until it readies abysmal depths. High coat of living has emptied most of the peasants' stockings. "With' butter and cheese at five shillings per pound of our money, bread at three times the price it is at London, a small shoulder of mutton at sixteen shillings, and everything else in proportion, it might be thought that ihe present taxation was impossible, but moro must he borne. Whatever is levied at present must bo increased three-fold and collected if. the French budget is to balance. What the consequence will be no one can predict. Germany is not so prosperous as has been assumed, her workmen receive 7*d per hour, PROPERTIES—If yon have a 1 roperty for sale H. MATSON f » CO. will be glad to have it. ; and are glad to obtain food for themselves and their families by getting as many hours' pay in the day as they can—tho eight-hour limit has been contemptuously passed by them. If wo were to take each country in succession, the same state of things would be apparent. Wo aro concerned with England for personal as well as sentimental treasons. Tho Mother Country is our principal nnd best customer, and if her purchasing power becomes restricted, wliat market trill absorb our butter, cheese, wool, and frozen meat? Every nation has tariffs which, bar us from selling. Franco wants what wo produce, but her agriculturists must Tie protected,."and if her gates were opened 1-ho fictitious rvalues of hor farming lands (good agrjeuU ral land in that country runs ■up to £SOO r aero) would tumble down VALT£r "' DNS —If you require a valuafrHvOf Live 1 and Dead Stock, or-oi&lnation for Probate at any time, H. MATSON & CO. can bo relied upon in this direction. / and involve millions of her people in tho catastrophe. England is especially hit; ulio has shouldered an enormous debt, and her workmen have refused to co-operate in any measures which will ennblo our manufacturers to meet competition and send out goods in payment for food. The one fact which stands out as clearly 3S Wrigley's electric sigus on Broadway upon a dark night is that buyers select the cheapest market, and if England cannot export goods "which, will undersell the foreigner, her workfngpopulation must starve. Whether they will prefer to do I so rather . than give up their present methods by which tho business is Btrangled, time alone will show. Even if every one of them were to throw over their trade onions, which have led them into ihe present ditch, and were to put out every ounce of power they possess, nnd demanded only sufficient to purchase the necessities of )ifo, it is doubtful whether the leeway already made could be regained; A well-known English shipbuilder said the other day, in a letter he wrote to one of the best-known newspapers, that even if labour costs were completely eliminated, English yards could not compote against German, tenders, as material alone would cost moro . than tho pi rocoived.

/ INSURANCES.—H. MATSON | AND CO. represent the ROYAL ■[ INSURANCE COMPANY, and will bo glnd to got your favours *> in this direction. Why not! STABILISING- MARKETS. The speech delivered by the Chairman of the Bank of New Zealand (Sir George Elliot) at the annual meeting of shareholders in Wol-' itngton last Friday week was prosy and drab, and lacked the glow of inspiration. There was nothing new in it, and vory little that •was instructive, and yet no man had a better' or more commanding opportunity for giving the peoplo some plain homo trutha, •which would, of course, have. been unpalatable. However, he is to be commended for his references to the modern and utterly foolish craze for "stabilising" markets. The word "stabilise" has lost its pristine beauty siuce it has been mouthed by the mushroom economists that havo grown up amongst the producers in Australia and New Zealand. Tha word as now used by theso masquerading economists' means prico-flsing and market manipulating, in order to obtain a price above the true market value. These adventurous economists labour under the that an Act of Parliament giving a body of men the absolute control, without recourso of personal property belonging to others, ovon without the consent of the latter, will achieve results that Old World economists assure us cannot possibly be obtained undor any circumstances, or, plainly, that the law of * supply and demand cannot be circumvented. Marketing organisations for storing, shipping, supervising quality, packing, and similar services are nocessary and desirable, but that is not the whole purpose of these control Boards: they expect to move a step further and control the selling price. "Wo agree with Sir George Elliot when he says "that the United Kingdom is our great market, and by ordinary methods we have built up an increasing business there; but, it the idea gained currency that we intended to exploit it for all w4 were worth, it is conceivable that the people generally might refrain from buying Now Zealand products and GRASS SEEDS, ETC.—H. MATSON AND CO. Supply Clovers and Grass Seeds MachineDressed. No better range in the City. Wo take Orders and Supply Orders for MANURES of all kinds. turn their attention to other lands for their requirements." To believe that Now Zealand can control the British butter market, or the meat market, or the fruit market, or tho honey market, or the wool market, or any other market is to hug a delusion. The mushroom economists that have grown up over-night from amongst the great body of producers cannot bo convinced with arguments; a physical demonstration or objectlesson will be needed to bring conviction. Unfortunately, when the mistake is discovered and huge losses are made, the perpetrators of the economic blunders will not suffer any measure of punishment; on the contrary, they are more likely to bo rewarded with a seat in the Upper House. In the Army if a general goes into battle without a full supply of arms and equipment and other essentials, he is pretty certain to be courtmartialled, but in civil life we make him a mayor ox a member of Parliament. CORNSAOKS AND WOOLPACKS.—H. MATSON AND CO. are Booking Orders for these at the present time. H. MATSON AND CO., Chrlstcbnxch.