Worst Over In 18 Months, Says New Zealander

Chronicle (Levin), 13 September 1947, Page 5

Worst Over In 18 Months, Says New Zealander

(N.Z.B.A.-

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(Inmirinht )

» - ' — V 9 • V ' Received Friday, 7.0 p.m. LONDON, Sept. 12. After fiye piqpths in Britain and on the Cohtinqnt during .which hq has attended tlie International Trade Organisation conference at Geneva as unofficial New Zealqnd dplegate, conferrea with leaders. o.f British trqde and indnstry and yisitpd ftfins all pyer the United Kingdom, Mr. D. I. ^lacdonald, seeretary of the New Zealand Manufacturers' Federation, is conyinceji that, despite her present trouhlps, Britain will he over the worst of her eeonomic difficulties in 18 months. He is also convinced that New Zealand will not lose as many British imports as at present seemed expected. The dollar shortage was undoubtedly influenping British exports towgrds the hard currency aleas, said Mr. Maedonald, but it shonld not b.e forgotten that these markets have already been considerably restricted and might be restricted still more. British manufacturers felt that their longstanding markets in thp Dominions must be preserved and so far as their personal inclinations went, there was no doubt New Zealand would reeeive most favourable consideration. This feeling was infiuenced by several factors, the chief of them friendship for New Zealand and gratitude for its assistance to the Mother eountry, the Dominion's ■ high business reputation and the faet that her chief requirements were not so largd that "a little more could not be taken off the shelf. " It was easy to undervalue the inilu ence of sentiment in business and he was sure the high regard in which New Zealand was held by British traders, was one of the Dominion's greatest assets, particularly in a situation like the present one when there were not enough goods to go round. Mr. Maedonald emphasised, however, that New Zealand importers, on their part, must dq their best to make their full requirements known and back their orders up by improving their contacts with suppliers in Britain in everv way possible. Whenever the volume of business involved was suffieient to jnstify personal visits to Britain, they should be nndertaken if only to assist as many New Zealand businessmen as possible fo understand Britain's difficulties and clianging conditions. Despite its difficulties, said Mr. Macdonald, he found no real despondeney in British industry and not as mueh irritation or frustration as he had been led to expect. The majority of British manufacturers were anxious to see Government eontrols and restrictions relaxed as soon as possible but were prepared to aceept them as necessarj' unfil conditions became more norma!. He found, tpo, that with some exceptions, the majority were prepared to set aside their political opinions and worK just as hard under the Labour Government as any other. What appeared to be needed was a firm political lead. . When. this> ■wai; forthcoming he did not think there need be any misgivings about the response. Foreign buyers who had come to British trade exhibitions prepared to find British industry dying, had been startled by the vitality and resource disclosed by the displa.vs. His own opinion was that if Britain could escape with two mild winters in the next two years and avoid any major industrial turmoil, she would be through the worst of her troubles in eighteen months and by then considerably aljead of many of her competitors. The present coal strike was not reassuring "but in the sum total it could be regarded as -a symptom of general industrial growing-pains. In the main the qttitude of British labour unions seemed essentially reasonahle. Thp British interest in New Zealand Was not confined to emigration and ' trade. He had also found many Britisn firms interested in investing eapital in the Dominion. Many British manufacturers appeared to regard the growth of industrj" in New Zealand not as a threat to tliemselves but as a logical development in which they would be glad to cooperate. As the result of thie feeling there was much less eritieism oi Newr Zepland import eontrols than he had anticipated. Mr. Macdonald is returning to New Zealand by the Corinthic on Friday.