N.Z. IMPORTS AND MANUFACTURERS

Grey River Argus, 31 August 1948, Page 5

N.Z. IMPORTS AND MANUFACTURERS

P.A. WELLINGTON, Aug 30 Mr W. N. Perry, Dominion president of the Federated Farmers, in a statement, replied to remarks of Mr S. H. Hunter, president of the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation. He’ said: — While I have no desire to enter into a newspaper controversy, I must point out that Mr Hunter’s version.of my previous statement is quite inaccurate. A few of my farmers, taken verbatim, will give'a true picture of my speech, viz:— “ ‘The topography of New Zealand the difficulty of internal communications; our lack of good harbours and our scarcity of coal and minerals are sufficient evidence to me that New Zealand was never intended by God to be a manufacturing country.’ ‘Our ’ people like to have advantages which farming gives them, including a very high standard of living, but they seem to want something move high-faultin, which will not provide for them things that 'the cowyard will produce.’ ‘The trend in imports has tended to change and this means that the trend is more and more in the direction of bringing in raw materials for our factories.' These consist, for the most part of semifinished goods. In this connection, I believe that in certain limited cases there is an advantage to New Zealand.’ ‘On the other hand, I believe that, in the vast majority of cases, we would be much better to continue to purchase our finished goods from Great Britain.’ “This is slightly different from the statement which Mr Hunter attributes to me, viz.—‘That we should import all our finished goods from “I did say, and I am not backm„ down on my statement, that, Goods which can be brought fully made up more cheaply from England : should be so brought, and the industries concerned should be quietly closed up. and the labour being used ini these industries should be tr a nsferred_r~ economic industries whicn u_e’ P ducing necessary articles at a reason able price.”