AMERICAN TRADE WITH NEW ZEALAND.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1386, 12 March 1912, Page 7

AMERICAN TRADE WITH NEW ZEALAND.

- 4 OF BRITISH PREFERENCE. Tho Washington correspondent of the London "Times," writing on January 5, states:— American trade reports from I\ew /,ealnnil sometimes afford inlerestiiiß examples of (he possibilities of Imperial Preference. A report just julilishcd deals with the American Hardware trntle. In 19M the value of American imports of hardware In the. Inlands was 2(i(i,090 dollars; in l!) 10 it. was 257,001) dollars. Imports of the samp class of British commodities ■ are valued at I.O'JCtWj dollars and 1,4fi9,857 dollars for the same year respectively, and of Canadian hardware at 281 dollars and 'Mi dollars. The reason (hat American traders are losing ground is the preferential surtax of 10 per cent placed in V.MM by New Zealand upon tion-hn-tis-i hardware. A recent report told the •.inn- story in regard to print paper, llie New Zealand surtax upon print paper is 20 per cent ad valorem. the result has been that since 1903 Canadian paper lias driven American papi-T out uf the Xcw Zealand markets. American imports have fallni from liMrly UO.OOOewt. in Hint year to under KiOllcwt. in l!) 09, while Canadian imports have risen from U'JllOcwt. In Sti.SS9i-wl. II i- a cuminmi i'oiii|ilainl Dial British iiiaiiulactur.'r- are less cirefill of local la-ti- and predilecliims abroad Ilian some !■' tiicir rival-, and Hint in paekinjr and piepariiiK their goods for export they are prone t« igiiovp special i-irunm-tances. A μ-ooti deal is also heard of the necessity ot cheaper freight rat.os bct\vt.;n tho v.moiis iiimnlvivs nf the Empire. Vho writer uf the report explains as follows

the survival of American hardware, sales, in New Zealand under whnl is obviously n considerable handicap:— "One (reason) is that, having already vs.ti;bii<Oicd a siilendid reputation for many Sin- of hardware-, they (the. I'nited Slati.O lire still able to sell their Roods in competition with the, I'nited Kingdom and Canada, even when they have not )>o3ii able to olfcr them quite so cheaply. Another reason is that in a great extent manufacturers of the United Kingdom linvo had the advantage of the preferential surtax neutralised by the higher rates of freight from London to New Zealand. Still another and perhaps the mint important reason is that American manufacturers luive been more disposed than British manufacturers to give the New Zealand trade the special kinds of Appliance* desired in this country. British manufacturers frequently adopting an attitude of insisting that goods must no taken as furnished, and if customers do not like them they can do without, While certain kinds nf ''aindard Roods in the local hardware trade are now ordinarily of British make, yet when dealers wish to put forward any 'peei.ilties that may meet the IK'eiiliar'iii't'd" of I lie country they like tu gai in (ouch with American manufactured who have shown u readine-s to givi> Ilii-in what they want."