WAR AND TRADE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2916, 31 October 1916, Page 6

WAR AND TRADE

NEW ZEALAND'S PART

DEMAND FOR BRITISH GOODS

During recent weeks His Majesty's trade Commissioner (Mr. R. W. Dalton) has travelled through a largo portion of the North Island for tho purpose of making himself acquainted with ■the country and meeting business men at the various centres. Ho has addressed Chambers of Commerce, discussed commercial questions with business people, interviewed members of firms, listened to complaints, and received suggestions for tho development of British trade. Mr. Dalton has still to visit several districts of tho North Island, and he will proceed later to the South Island.

"I have been able to cover a lot of ground and meet a great many peoplo," said Mr. Dalton to a Dominion reporter yesterday. "One of the' purposes of my tour was to ascertain to what extent foreign competition was obtaining a footing in the New Zealand market, and how far it would be possible for the British to recover their position when the war was over an dthey were able onco more to devote their attention to their ordinary trade. I found an intensely patriotic feeline; prevailing among business people.- New Zealand firms not only purchase British goods that are placed within their reach, they even go out of their way to endeavour to obtain fiom the United Kingdom supplies that, they could readily secure from foreign countries. The extent and force of this patriotic feeling are highly "ratifying.

"Most of the business firms in New Zealand,. I found, realise that after the war Britain is going to be a greater manufacturing country than ever before. They are anxious to get into touch with , British manufacturing houses, and they are ready to put up with present inconvenience rather than sever connections with the British firms that aro now concentrating attention on tho production of munitions to the detriment of their ordinary trade. New Zealand firms are doing some increased business with foreign countries in consequence of the war, hut my observations led me to believo that much of their additional trade is of a temporary description, and is due solely to the fact that the importing firms are not at present able to get.delivery from tho British manufacturers. Tile buyers intend.to resume their British connection when the war is over.

"I was a-b.le to state tho case for the British manufacturer to sympathetic, audiences in the courso of my tour.- I reminded the business men that tho foreign firms which wore bidding for tho trade that had once belonged to Germany wero just as ready to take British trade as well. New Zealand firms can help tho British manufacturers in two ways,, first by postponing purphase wherever possible until the close of tho war has released British industry, from the necessity for concentrating on the production of munitions; and, secondly, by being loyal'to their British trading connections, and not accepting foreign, agencies merely because the British firms are handicapped at present in the' execution of ordinary orders. Some purchases of foreign goods are inevitable under the existing conditions, but New Zealand firms have'it in their ppwor to see that thoy do not commit themselves beyond the war period, aud that they keep the avenues of trade open for the British manufacturers.

"One of the points I einpbasiscdl in [my talks to the business men was the enormous increase in' Britain's industrial capacity, consequent upon tho war. New factories, equipped with the most modern plant, have sprung into existence all over the United Kingdom. Old factories havo installed automatic machinery of the most modern type in order to produce munitions, and it is no exaggeration' to say that many millions of the war expenditure are represented by manufacturing plant that will bo available for ordinary industrial purposes when the war' ends. The effect is going to be almost revolutionarv. Many hundreds of British firms will find their manufacturing capacity greatly increased:; they will be able to produce better and cheaper goods thau ever, and in much large quantities than was possible before the war. They will need extended markets, and they wilj bo alert to bid for them."