NEW ZEALAND MADE.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20094, 25 November 1930, Page 17

NEW ZEALAND MADE.

SALE OF ELECTRICAL

GOODS

encouragement from city COUNCIL. The Municipal Electricity Departmeht is to be nsked to do all it reasonably can to encourage the sale and use of New Zealand-made electrical goods, according to the terms of a motion passed by the City Council last night after a prolonged debate. All councillors were in favour of the principle, but some pointed out that the preference of the customer was one deciding factor, while others argued that locally-made goods must stand or fall on their merits.

Cr. A. E. Armstrong moved: "That the policy of using exclusively a Cana-dian-made range in the Municipal Electricity Department's demonstrating room for cooking demonstrations be discontinued as soon as possible. (2) "That the Electricity Committee be asked to see that, as soon as possible, local or New Zealand manufactured ranges are used alternately for cooking demonstrations, and that the people present be advised of that fact. (3) "That part of the Municipal Electricity Department's showroom be set aside for the exhibition of New Zealand manufactured electrical goods only." Goods Can be Made. There was, he said, a great hope for the relief of unemployment in encouraSinS t' l6 secondary industries of New Zealand. He instanced a local firm which was manufacturing electrical elements- An electric range could be made in Nciv Zealand for £lB 10s, while the imported range, cost &27• General Manager Criticised. The general manager of the Municipal Electricity Department, in his report, seineed to have gone out of his way to scout the idea of having these goods manufactured locally in face of the competition from Canada and the United States. He (Mr Armstrong) merely asked that the local range be shown in the Council's showroom on an equal footing with the imported range. Why did the Department take up an attitude of prejudice towards the local article?

"How are we going to prosper if we will not change our policv and give the local article a fair trial?"' asked Cr. Armstrong. "The Department has acted too long as an agency for Canadian goods. The general manager is biased against the locally-made article, yet he tells this Council he is not biased."

Cr. Armstrong was going on to attack the genera] manager's motives when the Mayor (Mr J. K. Archer) interjected that he had no right to do that. Support from Cr. Beaven.

"I should like to congratulate Cr. Armstrong as a young man on realising the paramount importance of our secondary industries," remarked Cr. A. W. Beaven. "The Electricity Committee has not, perhaps, realised that sufficiently, though it has done more than Cr. Armstrong gives it credit for, and I _ must dissociate myself from some of his remarks. But the Department can do still more. Admittedly there are difficulties, but a change can be effected gradually. Local manufacturers are entitled to all the support " from the Council they can possibly get." Cr. A. A. McLachlan supported the resolution because in the future, he said, they would not be given tho privilege of paying for electrical imports from Canada with butter. Charge Against Salesmen. Cr. L. B. Neale pointed out that a certain amount of consideration had to bo given to the consumers' choice. He would say, however, that there were salesmen in New Zealand to-day guilty of creating unemployment through neglecting to push New Zealand goodsThe time had come for them, as a municipality, to create an interest in New Zealand goods, even if they had "to pay through tho nose for it." Caution Advocated. Cr. E. R. McCombs thought that tho matter should be left to tho Electricity Committee to confer with the manufacturers as to the best way to proceed. She expressed herself an ardent advocate of New Zealand-made goods. Tho Mayor (Mr. J. K. Archer): I think this question should go to the Electricity Committee. I always buy New Zealand-made goods when 1 can get what I want—or approximately what I want —but the arguments used by Cr. Armstrong can be used to force the Department to sell "shoddy" goods. We must allow our salesmen to give their honest opinions as to the relative merits of the different articles.

"There are firms in this City who would be glad to put the Municipal Electricity Department out of business,"' said the Mayor, "and the Department cannot afford to send its customers away for the sake of foisting on them something that they do not perhaps want." He was in favour every time of buying a New Zealand-made stove, for example, provided the General Manager could say it was the beat which could be obtained for the money. Amendment Moved. Cr. D. G. Sullivan moved the following amendment: "That, for the purpose of ascertaining the best means of improving the quality of New Zealanduiade goods where necessary, and encouraging the sale of New Zealandmade goods, the Electricity Committee be instructed to hold a conference with the manufacturers of locally-made goods, the Committee to submit concrete proposals to the Council at the next meeting." If the motion was passed, he argued, it would be meaningless. He had long been an advocate of New Zealand-made goods, but he counselled caution. Cr. J. W. Beanland was in favour of the motion as it stood. He did not want to hinder the trade of the Department, but more could be done to increase the sale of locally-made goods. Cr. M. E. Lyons deprecated the illadvised but continued attacks on the General Manager. No one would welcome the definition of the Council's policy moro than Mr Hitchcock. He did not want to see the Department go out of business, but here they had one of the harmful effects of municipal trading, with the tentacles entwining the Council to its detriment of local industry. The reason why there were so many Canadian ranges in Christchurch was because the Department had been able to say some years ago: "Here is a product we can ms.injf&ctijre and finance," and it financed it. Then, were they going to place one locally-made range in the Department's showroom, or five or six? Would it not be better for the local manufacturer to come forward with a standardised product? If the local electrical products were to succeed they must be able to stand the acid test of competition.

Or. E. Parlane: The reason I am supporting Cr. Armstrong is that I have had experience of the Department not

pushing the sale of the New Zealand article. Cr. Armstrong, in reply, commented that of the 110,000 elements made by a local firm, only twelve were ordered by the Municipal Electricity Department. He wanted to keep completely clear of Party politics in th<j question. It was suggested that the contents of the motion and the amendment be embodied. This was agreed to, and a motion in these terms was carried.