FOR IMPERIAL TRADE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2566, 14 September 1915, Page 6

FOR IMPERIAL TRADE

' ' A PUBLIC MEETING i>ECIDES:TO SHUN GERMAN SOODS A public meeting, uider the auspices : if tho Wellington Chamber of Commerce and the Wellington Central Chamber, of } -. .Commerce,, for the purpose, of fostering t Imperial .trade, wasj held ,in the Town J-lall Concert Chamber last might, -The iMayor .(Mr. J. P. I/uko) presided, and .with. him oh (ho platform wero:. Sir Joseph Ward (Miiiistor of Finance), the v'Hon. A. : L. .•■Herdman ■■(Attorney-.- ' . General),-Mr. J. Macintosh, (president of .: ■ Hho: Chamber of Commerce), Mr. C. M. ''Luke (president of the Wellington Cen- ■ tral Chamber of Commerce), Mr. W: G. .■■■■■:. iWickham. (Imperial , Trade Conimis- ; ■■;. : sipner), Mr. R. \W. WaterKouse, i and Mr. L. Ashoroft Edwards. Thero was; ; : ■■ •..■ an; attendance of about 150. ■?■ :>.V' 'I' l opening tho meeting Mr;, Luke said: ' ' tliat the : Chambers ' of ■' Commerce throughout New Zealand were' giving ■: expression to the hops that; English ! ■ ■rjv. trade,.:and',.that of our Allies,'.- should have preference. . In the past much of ' our money had gono in" channels-which

! liad been disastrous to-.ais, for: it had to provido the sinews, of war of •T" our enemy. Wo could not rest longer content to Lave things go along in tbat i■ -way.' The German people, had slioivn • great 'push and'energy, in" the past/'few f.\ years, and while we clid-not envy that, ; . wo did say that they, should not'progress. to break down tho peace-and happiness ! of England and .her. colonies. Germany in the last thirteen years liad increased ;'■' 'herrioreigii' ti;ade by; 100 per. cent., and i ...... wo objected to this when it was at the i v' -'.'expense of the.BritiSh nation.. The Wellington City. Council, which he repre : C: seiited, had a big purchasing power, 'and 'they.-would' feel,disgraced .'if they I sent contracts now io,an enemy coimi.' try. ..It was hoped the' Government and . tlio'municipalities 1 throughout New Zea-j.v-land .would shut the door , against that enemy trado when, the war camo to an ;• end- Our boys were fighting-for us, £,■'-.; a'iid we had to make that fight of value.

Preference for the Empire. i. Sir Joseph Ward said that in building \j. ■ up an Empire trade Ave wore doing a : ■ good tiling.for ,ourselves, and for the W'"i : generations' that' '-were to come. ••••.The' Ijft movement - for, protecting | British trade 'J& was: absolutely necessary, arid the 'Empiro and her' Allies had to prevent an f .'.vr v-iiirosli^of- enemytrade ill, 1 the y : .It was a largo section of tlio .English , people over the wholo : world who were responsible': for ' that enormous'"'trade, Mvhich .Germany had. secured .in the past- • i: - few 'years.' After the war/there -were going - .to be '■ great changes—changes ; 1 ivliic'h'.- ;could • not' yet bo indicated—but one thing.-Tvas ,certain, there,was going to bo a compulsory effort in the Empire to,develop commerce internally and ox> -. ternally. A strong, determination would liavo vto- bo-, made .not... to ;—forgo.t.. ..tho trials,..-undergone. by the people .of .Englandduring v . Those countries how htistile to lis would ' , make a great , effort to win our good graces again ■; after, the v.war, and. we ■ j::-.. must not. lot them.. (Applause.) A British Protection Trade organisation ' would,,he.useful to guard against any insidious", attempt to. get enemy country; , goods'' in. ' ' 'Wo' 'had tb'' seethat' tho,' •: country of origin was shown on goods imported, ■ for there' was a grftat dilfer- .. ' ence between the country of. shipment and,, tiie couiitry of origin. : / The National Government had already shown ; their desire in the Budget to co-operate j -v;. ■ with" tho merchants and the humblest

. of . the land to see that German and Austrian goods did, not come , in, except ,r ; under the imposition, of .a duty of 50 - j J)er. cent., or; even higher. .(Applause.) I'ho Customs Department, in New. Zoa~ laud, in co-operation with the] British v Trade -authorities, would in future, take • .. . the greatest care to see that the country of.origin was shown on all imported goods. ... • ; • v.'.'vv; Our preference had to be given to I the Motherland, but -we would help':our 'Allies all wo could after we'had given '*<*v that pieference. Wo should not, on ■ account of differences of feeling, say ' that America- was to bo kept out of the, ,' ; , zoijo, of-.the count-rios which we should trade-in.'. He said preference to England and the colonies,'but at'the same :. ; time we, as a'priducing country, must not. forgot, the fact that wo liad also to consider trade - both ways with the v.. countries that had not been enemies to

the British Empire. He thought wo r v should, not come to too quick a judgnient as to' the course America had l* . ■ taken at the present'time.;: 'The Brit--r . statesmen, with their re'sponsibili- | ties', had not" voiced any dissensions with;'the American -' attitude. -..-Tho j .United States • had sent : 175 million pounds of munitions to the Allies since i the war began, and if she had come into [s \ the war, with the possibility of internal ! trouble, she could not have done much !: in the way of sending armies to Etj- [;- rope, and sho could not havo sent so c much munitions. (Applause.) t Two Paramount Duties. ' Tho Hon. A. L. Herdman said that t: thero wero two classes of peoplo in tho t' ; . >'Empire /at present—those who v wero fighting and those who were. being [l* fought for.' ' Wo had two paramount f: duties, to kill our enemies, 1 and to give a'new lease of life to'the • Empire ' ■ \ Germany had done us great.-wrong, f «fd there would be no satisfaction j :;: to this country if victory alone accomV , panted our aims. We sil'ould desinyto [ , . fico the German people wrecked, politic'altetti- ly, socially, and commercially. A seni tenco of that character would be dei manded by tho Allies. He did lipti believe that the British people realised the i ■ • ramifications of German trade until this war began: l During the last forty years German trade had been working for'itse.lf, and for the Fatherland. Even : New Zealand had not been neglected, for our imports from Germany had ' . sprang from £274,000 in 1903 to £687,'GOO in 1913. Now was the time for us to "step in." We had Germany com- • paratively in a state of siege, and com-' . niercial men throughout the Empire should make themselves conversant ivith • the trade which Germany had been carrying on, and' which the Empire could now carry on. It was more than ■V ever the duty of the Government to en- ■ courage that -'trade.' Why 'should not Great Britain and her colonies build the bridges of trade by subsidising steamers? It was being done by Germany, and why shoidd it not'be; done by Eng-' i landi'and her _ colonies?.. '. (Applause.)■ While the Britidi Government, 1 aiid; the •Now Zealand Government, too, had not done anything of a positive character . since the war began to help British trade, they lad done a great deal by . shutting the door to enemy goods.' He made an appeal for a continuance of tho British trade principles of the past, for ■he li'ad noticed that a few neurotic ■ > ' people were inclined to advocate principles repugnant to British fair play and sense-of justice.- If we were going to survive as a nation through tho, centuries, it could only be by carrying on biismess on lines and principles which tho business mon had earned on in the '- past. : Business nieu of England wero sincere, were to Bo relied on, and liad a Tiigh sense of honour. We might bo a ■ nation of shopkeepers; hut at any rate we kept our shops, clean. Ho believed that when the war came to an end we would emerge from it stronger as a nation than we were twelve months ago; stronger, wiser, and perhap3 sadder, hut infinitely more fit to take our part in the affairs of tlio. world. (Applause;) Resolutions Carried. Mr. R. W. Waterhouso then moved tho following-motion,.: the" outcome"of - tho recont conference of the Assooi^

aited Chambers of Commerce: (1) '.'That tliis meeting of Wellington citizens resolves: That, with a view to diverting trade previously carried on with enemy countries, and with the object .of developing trade, both imports and oxports, within, the Empire T<nd with Allied nations when peace is declared, they will nurchasc, when such goods aro available, goods manufactured in the Dominion, Great Britain, or her dependencies, or goods made bv Britain's Allies, and further resolves not to purchase goods produced in enemy countries." ' Mr. Waterhouse spoke in support of tlio motion. ■ It was seconded by Mr.' L. Ashcroft. Edwards, who spoke to it, and., was carried with applause. .■'..■■ ■ The following resolution was also carried: "This meeting urges, on _ the Government that from the determination of tlio war all goods imported from enemy countries shall he the'subject of a. sur-tax,-in order to stop) sis far as possible, imports' from ■ such eneiiij' countries; and fjirther that preferential:trade shall obtain' within the Empire, with modir fied preference to our Allies." ; Mr. J. Macintosh moved a hearty vote of thanks to Sir Joseph Ward and the Hon. A. L. Herdman for their presence and addresses. He said that in his opinion the reasons we had decidcd to have no mora trade ' with Germany were: (1) Because they' did not recognise the same standard with .regard to truth as we did; (2) because they l did not recognise the sacred nature of promises given and tlio holiness of engagements'entered into ; (3) because with them all promises given were binding upon them only so long' as, -in. their opinion, their interests were, served by adherence' thereto, and so far as written engagements'were concerned; they, •were but scraps of paper-under similar circumstances.-; (Applause.) . ■ Mr; C: M. Luke seconded the motion, which ,was carried , with -acclamation, and a, vote of thanks'was also carried to the Jlayor and tho other speakers.

MEETINC AT MASTERTON. (From Our'fipecinl Correspondents.) V \ ; ;; J Masterton, September 13. _ A public meeting was held here this afternoon, under the ■ auspices of the Chamber of Commerce, to pass a resolution dealing with tho subject of Empire trade. Several' speakers urged the importance of the; British Empire trading within-itself. ' V Mr. A. W. Hogg strongly condemned the proposed resolutions. He defended neutral countries, and advocated the healing of, sores at the termination of the , war.: . _ , . "■'A resolution pledging the meeting to trade only with Britain and, her Allies was parried, Mr. Hogg being' the only dissentient.; ~ ■ WANCANUI'S RESOLUTION. (By- Telegraph.—Press Association.) Wanganui, September 13. A' meeting; of Wanganui citizens tonight passed /the following resolutions— "That ; thi«: meeting urges the Government to make .temjwrary provision so tliat from tlio termination of the war ; Hie operation of the present Trading With' the Enemy .'Act shall continue, and that during such period of the continuance of this Act the Government use its utmost endeavours in urging tho Imperial authorities to promptly arrange that an Imperial Conference, fylly representative, of : the Empire, de- | eide the 'best methods of consolidating and extending, Empire trade, iwith provisional preference-to our Allies, so as to,-, as far as possible, prevent trading witJi the present enemy countries."