IMPORTED WOOLLENS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 150, 13 July 1937, Page 4

IMPORTED WOOLLENS

-Preos Ataociaiia#i i

• re> i, Minister Sympatketic to N.Z. Industry N0 REDUCTION IN DUTIES

(By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON Last Night. Reference was made to-day by the Minister of Indnstries and Commerce, Mr D. G. Sullivan, to the Press Association. report of a deputation which waitea on him at Hastings on July 5, regarding the competition that New Zealand wdol manufacturers have to meet from Australia. "The president of the Ohamber of Commerce stated that • importatjons from Australia were increasing, and a rednetion in tariff would enable a bigger proportion of goods tO be itilported from Great Britain^' said. the Minister. "In response to my question, Mr Baird, the president, stated that the object of his representatiofns was, first, to protect our woollen mills andj secondly, to encourage imporTa. tion from Britain rather than from Australia. The Press Association report states that I expressed sympathy with the pproposal, and it is possible that manufacturers may construe this as an indication that I was agreeable to a reduction in the duty to enable a greater importation of woollen goods from Great Britain. "This is not so," the Minister said, " and I made it abnndantly clear to the deputation that I Was sympathetic towards New Zealand industry. I said that there could be no argument against the principle of first building up our own local industryf and, secondly, if wa must import, it is right and prpper that our orders should be given pref erably to the United Kingdom, which is our' best oustomer. I desire to make this clear, so that it will not be imagined that I expressed agreement with the proposal to reduce the duties on imported woollen .goods in competition with our local manufacturers. ''