MADE IN GERMANY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2729, 25 March 1916, Page 6

MADE IN GERMANY

SHUTTING OUT ENEMY TRADE ,j

NOT AN EASY TASK

GOODS COMING THROUGH NEUTRAL

COUNTRIES

A correspondent, "British," wrote us recently asking whether it would not he possible to emphasise our article of Wednesday, March 15, by publishing a list of enemy goods—or at least tho most important of them at present sold in this country. It was further stated that some of these £oods were advertised in the New Zealand Press, more particularly certain patent medicines which, though now under British control, yet belonged to German shareholders who would profit by the name being kept alive. Wo propose to follow up tile inquirias already made, and shall be glad ofauy assistance from our readers. The difficulties _ which confront those who seek to discover German-made goods under the guise of goods made in nouii . Co " nt P es is fairly, well indicated by Hie following information gathered bv a Dominion reporter yesterday:— "Any German stuff coining in? I should think so," remarked one Wellington salesman to our reporter. "Of course I don't know for an absolute certainty that the goods are German, but 1 would be prepared to lay a gold-mine to a gooseberry that certain lines have been made by German hands. 'How do I know? Well, you get to know when you've been in tl»e trade for as long as I have. You know by the character of the goods—and by the price. No nation can. make toys like the Germans. The Japs, excel in woodwork, but their toys have been a failure. America, has given us weight to stand for quality m mechanical toys, trains, engines, etc., and the price is about, six times as much as we paid for better German goods. Dolls—try to buy them and see if you can get any as good as the Germans made at say double tho price. Tho French are turnjng out a lot of dolls, little ones mostivn u y liavo a lot to learn. 'leU you a story about dolls. They were m short supply a t Christmas time, jou know. _ Mothers Snow who had to pay tho price. I was down in a warehouse, and saw a very nice English doll costing about Bs. 6d. Of course, it was English Wasn't it stamped all over it—Made entirely in England.' Happened to break one of them, and was trying to fix the eyes in-they \ ere ij S O- t°-sleep dolls—when what should I see stamped on the little lead i weight that controlled the eyes but the letters D.Ii.G.M. Anyone in the trade know that these are the initial tetters 'D.E.G.M' Anyone in the action of tile doll was a German registered patent. I took it down to the warehouse, and showed my discovery to tho manager, who thereupon cabled at once cancelling a further order of the came brand of 'Entirely English dolls.' About the letters 'D.11.G.M., 1 which are so familiar to handlers of German toys. As soon as tho war broke out Japan got busy on toy manufacture, making German toys their models, and so faithfully did they imitate their pattern that they sent out thousands of jwunds worth of stuff with tho letters ■U.K.Ot.M. branded on it, under the impression that it was a hall-mark that could notbe done without, ctfn 3 a< *' n 'tted that Germany is still striving, to keep alive her expir- !,'? trade > and tliat goods aro reaching this country which on presumptive evidenco should be German, somo in- i quiries were mado yesterday as to how i this is made possible. All goods imnf° r tbf rw t0 p /! s throl3 sli the hands of the Customs officers. It was therelore at the Customhouse that some inquiries were made as to how certain goods can get through to tho public, the embargo placed on the importation, of enemy goods. Our representative was only allowed th„TTigl g ? aCe . at , H le big P roble "i that tho Department had to face in dealiV with enemy goods but it was sufficient to show how exceedingly difficult it will be to utterly and entirely "squelch" German trade. To show what is meant ° : ® cml mentioned tho case of ladies bags. - Such were now coming into the market from America, but , Ara ,™ hag,.but a bag known to the trade for all time as a German bag. Perhaps the fittings on those bags are American, and it is on those fittings that you seo "Made in U.S.A. " tw +i 8 evlden °° of our senses tells us that they are German bags. They mav m America have had a big pre-war i" 1 u ' Mlin e an order, say, i tor Wellington, there is nothing to prevent the entire lot being German-made goods. And yet there is no evidence strong enough for us to bar them as enemy goods. Inquiries have been made, through the agency of the ColoMai becretary, and experts have visited the factories where such orders are mado up, yet they are unable to say Chat the goods are. enemy goods, as there is a plant Rt work in America turning out similar goods. Those who have pondered over the vexed question of German trade, and know that the German is just as wily as lie is persistent will long ago have recognised that German trade through noutral countries wonldl he difficult to kill Perhaps it would not be so difficult to prevent goods actually made in Germany from being, shipped across the seas to British possessions as on neutral territoi-y British agents would be free t>o_ make tho fullest inquiries as to the origin of goods. Tho difficulty arises when an apparently neutral firm is or becomes Gorman-controlled, and when German enterprises commence to operate over the border of Holland, Denmark, Switzerland, and in Norway and Sweden. Goods manufactured by such firms aro "enemy goods," but tho country of origin is a neutral one.

Mr. AV. B. Montgomery, {Secretary and Inspector of Customs, has naturally given the problem—for it is a- problem—very deep thought, and is convinced that should it be necessary to bill Gorman trade altogether tlio difficulties will be great, but not insuperable. The situation could probably be met by drastic legislation on lines which lie had in his mind, but'did not care to divulge at present, 'l'liey were aware that goods of a cortain class—toys,' musical instruments_ (small, not pianos), a certain quantity of dyes, textiles for covering chairs, and gloves-r-ivere being received from German firms, now operating in jieutral countries. Thoy had ovory reason to believe that furniture coverings (toxtilos) wcro boing made by enemy people in Norway. Thoy were able to tell this by expert examination and comparison of tlio stuffs coining to hand from Norway with what formerly camo from Germany. Gloves, too, were coming through from suspected sources. Cotton good's were not being exported by Germany. It is true there were 6'toclcs of cheap German stockings held by some, if not all, the big shops in Wellingtou, but t'liey were stocks liold before tho war, or which came to hand immediately after war was declared. Germany had no cotton to make up suclv goods now. The Minister of Customs was giving a good deal of attention to tho matter of squelohing trade in enemy goods, and was soon to submit drastic regulations to the Secretary for his criticism.

There were certain goods that England wanted that were being allowed to come from Germany aiul Belgium. Tlio English manufacturers were so busy on munition-making-that there wore certain lines that the British Board of Trade were allowing to come through, and a certain amount of trade was being done by England with Belgium, though it was known that 2o per cent, of the work oil .thosa gflodg .was dons in .Germany.*