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BRITISH INDUSTRIES

RECOVERING OVERSEAS TRADE

REORGANISATION PROCESS

VIEWS .OF COMMISSIONER

: E.' Wf'Dalton.- British Trade Com-missioner-for--New Ze.iland, who left for England about eighteen months, ago on . Official business, returned to /Wellington '■yesterday. ' He was accompanied by Mrs. "foalton and Captain E. S. A. Bayner, ' who has been appointed Assistant Commissioner. Sir. Dalton arrived in England'ln;pctober, 1018, and for nix months afterwards-travelled through the country visiting..'the .'.various manufacturing* districts and chambers of commerce. . Diseasing' with a reporter ; he. pros'•■■peofcj of Britain's manufacturing industries and overseas trade, Mr. Dalton Stated that he went Home in order to give ''British-manufacturers the benefit of Ills • experience of the requirements of -New .Zealand's trade. Ho arrived just before the aimistice, and at that time ronnufneturere were very keen to hear of prospects of business. He wag interviewed by "cibonfc 1000 manufacturers anx'.ous to ob- • tain information regarding the ross mli- ■ ties'Wf h'ade' with the Dominion. Many of these previously had trade Relations ■. with tho Dominion, and were desirous of renewing them. There was a greater leadiness. than had been previously be case on tho part of manufacturers to dis- ' cuss overseas trade. It. was c.ear to many that in the near future the:r export- trade would have to be -increased -cotsiderably in'order to keen their enlarged works busy.' They also realised the need for using every means to re- ' «>vef the overseas trade that they had ■ lost on account of the Tar. . lor tho •■first few months after the armistice conditions, were very disturbed, lately owing to tho fact that war plant had to be scrapped or reorganised to make it suitable for normal trade. "When this bad been done, labour troubles, which- had been anticipated for some time. nnd the manufacturers were faced with further uncertainty. Meanwhile, there ■ was a tremendous demand from overwiw for goods. It was not remarkable- hat uSder such conditions m -respect to. plant ond labour, the manufacturers were quite unable to commit, themselves .to any definite post-war trade- organisation. During the last few months. ' however, conditions had become ™ u °h nearer, normal, and in the ilot far distant future manufacturers would look about them, and organise trade instead of meeting only a small percentage of the orders " that were forced npon them J.n the absence of any very, clear , organisation of industry.

Period of Reorganisation. ; It misht be said that the period since the signing' of the armistice had been one of internal reorganisation, and that tor soma months it would be a period of external reorganisation. A > noticeable feature of the internal reorganisation was « the .amalgamation of existing _ concerns into larger; industrial combinations, and u exeat deal of the tirno of tho principals of the various concerns had been ; taken ud with the financial details of .the amalgamations. It might be eatd " 'that practically all the British industries had (rone into tho melting-pot, ond until \ the process in England had been completed it was impossible for firms to say what tliov could do in respect to overseas trade. The interests of distant oversew markets fiuoh as New Zealand had, lie feared. 6tiffered. owing to the huge demand from the Home and near markets, The strongest demand, perhaps, came from' Western Europe, tat South America. .and, to some extent,' the United ' States, were eagerly trying to buy British goods. - The purpose of the Board df Trade, which he liad followed in his " own endeavours, was to induce the manufacturers to consider, as far as possible, tho demands of far-away markets,, such ' as New Zealand, and increase their. export tradq .even at the expons® of the homtf .trdde'. ' .•" J ' rJ "p p j ces continuing to Soar.

Prices continued to soar, and it might "bo "that : the'' limit had not been rekched, but to anyone who had seen manufacturine conditions at Home, the need for very hich'prices ivas apparent. In spito • of the (rreat demand for manufactured ' goods, it was likely that prices would be maintained, at a high'level. In regard to the new manufacturing methods that had come into general use ..-in-Great Britain, Mr. Dalton stated that .before, the war manufacturers well knew f'tho 'ralne of-standanlisation irnd mass production. but to convert their plants to new methods would have meant a vast expenditure •of capital. The war had forced on many changes, and now that huee now factories were being turned to ,-.the use's .of ordinary trade, it was nec«s- ---' earv.,that.,they should be worked _to' full capacity-if,;they weio to pay their way. Judeinaf froin what he had seen, however, Mr.-Dalton said he was convinced that in due courso Britain would recover the supremacy whioh eho held before -'the war.V!.'".".

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19200322.2.45

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 151, 22 March 1920, Page 6

Word count
Tapeke kupu
769

BRITISH INDUSTRIES Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 151, 22 March 1920, Page 6

BRITISH INDUSTRIES Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 151, 22 March 1920, Page 6

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