THE BRITISH MANUFACTURER

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 5, 1 October 1917, Page 6

THE BRITISH MANUFACTURER

■ AND OVERSEAS TltA-DE. Sir,—Tho business community will, I think, feel indebted to you for the very full extract you published from the report of Mr. 11 W. Dalton, H.li. Trade Commissioner for New Zealand. ' While the report is doubtless a. very able one, it is not without a good deal of amusement that one compares his veryfaint; protest 'against criticism of- the British manufacturer with the tremendc us indictment against British methods, which is the main burden of the report. Among other points, he challenges the selling organisation of British merchants as compared with tho Americans and their methods, the treatpient.of agents . amkcustomers generally, methods of invoicing, packing, cataloguing, and advertising. .To sum up, it is quite evident that Mr. Dalton feels himself at a very considerable disadvantage in endeavouring to maintain the prestige of British trade overseas as against more scientific methods of competition. It is very important at thin time that British manufacturers and their- customers overseas who wish to maintain tho supremacy of British trade within the Empire, should endeavour to come together with a view .to co-operating for mutual aid' and protection. While the British'manufacturer is hampered by : the intense devotion of the United Kingdom to war purposes. America, at least until her entry into the war, and Japan ; have both been using the most strenuous ■ efforts to capture the world s trade. J he most important thing just now to ascer- ; lain is, How can the desideratum men- . tionad best be brought about? •Wot, in short, is fundamentally wrong wit> British methods? The answer is: Lack 1 of organisation, both on the part 'of tho i traders themselves, and on the part ot i the State. , -n Lord Burnham m Ins Preface to Ernest < J P Beiin's "Trade as a Science," em- i piiasises tlie "necessity for a representa- j tive, scientific, and energetic association 1 ill each trade which shall consider notli- ] ill" but the trade's advancement, and the 1 establishment of a real Ministry of Com- i merce for everything connected with, pro- | duction." These are the two essentials, , in his opinion, if British trade ™ < survive on tho post-war struggle. The , British Government does not take men-' ] sures which are comparable with those j of the United States for furthering ex- , port trade. The latter has, at present, a very large number of 'travelling ex- ( perts who are inquiring into all "branches , of oxport business with a view to col- , leeting and classifying in Washington ,

the data that will bo of value to fhs United States exporters. Several of these coiflmissioners have already been through. Mew Zealand, and have been collecting the necessary information in a moat thorough and scientific way. If, lor instance, an American manufacturer desires to find out what are the needs-o£ electrical engineering in New _ Zealand, whether of a private or municipal character, ho has but to ask Washington, to obtain all the information required.

31 r. Beiin, in the hook above mentioned, points out "that the individual who sets out to promote British trade is badly handicapped by lack of organisation and co-operation, while, on the other hand, British trade as a whole is threatened with political and other dangers simply because it is an individualistic,' inarticulate, unorganised mass w-hieh has no opportunity or ability to Jwld or express any opinions of its own. llr. Benu criticises very sharply tho present organisations, both of a trade and of a State nature. He points out that the British Board of Trado is largely given to regulation of trade and shipping, and that voluntary trade associations have proved a failure (as they have t:> a large extent in this country). Business interests do not combine for the purposes of their own protection and advancement; the biggest houses are the greatest offenders in their lack of support o£ scientific trade association. ' As an. instance of the awakening that is taking place in Great Britain with regard to this lack of organisation, the Engineers Club of Manchester in 1915 appointed a. special committee to consider the i lestion of organising the British engineering industry. Here is' an extract from its report: "The present is an opportune moment for the vhole engineering industry of, this country-to reorganise and put its house in order. The development of our engineering export trade, in partioular, lias been highly unsatisfactory for soma years, while Germany's rate of progress lias been phenomenal'. In our opinion, Germany's success has been due to education; to co-operation, and to organisation in manufacturing and setting. _ llr. Benn'6 objection -to ui9 Chamber of Commerce is that it represents all trades and does not profess to have any influence on improvements in turo of any partioular class of .goodsIt is admirably suited to deal with all those general questions which the trade associations now profess to debate, but it cannot deal with the velopment, and improvement of any particular trade. . . Mr. Benn suggests tlie_ formation or trade associations of a national character as distinguished from Chambers of Conimerce, which are local and voluntary institutions. His book; is an^ appeal for th« institution of model trade associations with a national council, district committees. ■ working committees, and an. adequate salaried staff. Only by euch epe. cialised organisations he thinksJ 3 "*®™ can militate against the advantage teUcli a greater appreciation of the re of organisations m Germany and,the United States has given to those "valsina foreign market. It is interesting to note that a new Federation of Shipping Interests in Great Bntan'bas been formed to promote the general in terests of those industries. , i v He devotes, a chapter to credit wMi he points out may.teinateriaUy aided , by organisation for mutual advantage P ls h it U no r t toe that organisation of W ness in this country should be upon'a scientific basis? Failure of voluntary "organisation's is odnntted on aIL hands, in these abnormal times, tode is threatened with innumerable important and troublesome problems, and, as Mr. Benn says, "there is no existing machin. ery for the adequate discuf&Qn or proper . settlement, of any tof these problems and the very grave danger that they maybe handled by wrong people, and that trade may be ruined by being dragged into party politics has been clear It is equally true of the/ position in New Zealand. Adequate t protection is needed for the producer, the distributor, and the manufacturer' In "this country, and there is only one way of getting It, and it is by paymg f° r the best oiSj«nspowers " available at a reasonable Pr fcommend to the business men of this country a study of' Mr.. Benn's book for the purpose of awakening them to the. needs of the moment and the dangers or the future.—l am; etc.,