BIRMINGHAM'S EFFORT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2420, 27 March 1915, Page 30

BIRMINGHAM'S EFFORT

As a response to the luncheon parties organised in Berlin to discuss ways and. means of capturing American public opinion, a number of .Birmingham business men. atteiided a luncheon oil February 3, at which consideration was given to the best ways of capturing German trade. Mr. Wilfrid. Hill, prospective Liberal candidate for East Worcestershire, said our much-abused Board of Trade •' had created records in commercial enterprise. Chambers Commerce • and business associations throughout Ik' country had their councils of war, and the result had been a significant awak-, ening of British business activity. Business men generally realised that if we wore to benefit from the war to the extent that we hoped we mtist be quick t-o take the initiative, for never before in the commercial history cf the world were so many markets waiting for goods, and never was opportunity knocking more insistently at the door's of f the British manufacturer. The day would come when peace would put an end to the paralysis of German commerce, but for some years we should be the only fully eequipped manufacturing nation in Europe. We were . paying Germany before thp war about £23,000° 000 more for manufactured articles than she was paying us, and while it would be absurd to say that we could imme,dlately produce all those "goods which Germany had been sending to us, he saw no reason why a large proportion of that trade bhould' not be captured and kej)t for British manufacturers. He laid down two essential propositions. Wo must bring up the standard of' efficiency of British commerce to that of our competitors, and, having done that, we must demand from the Government' such trading facilities as would' encourage the development of British comWe must hai;3 our industrial army intelligent, capable, alert, and thoroughly trained, 'and the training must begin ill the elementary school.