Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star THURSDAY, MARCH 21st, 1918. TRADE AFTER THE WAR.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 March 1918, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star THURSDAY, MARCH 21st, 1918. TRADE AFTER THE WAR.

Commercial folk at Home are awake to the necessity of organising for post-war trading. The British journals make frequent and pointed reference to the subject, advising their readers that the old, comfortable ways which obtained prior to August, 1914, must give way to entire re-organisation. They say that the answer to why bother about post-war/ trade, is that without better organisation we cannot expect to keep pace with the other countries which compete with us. Whether we trade with Germany or not after thie war, there can be no question about German plans. As n neutral investigator assured us long ago, the German organisation for resuming the export trade is very complete. Aided by the big men in the German hanking world, the best brains are grappling with the problem’ of floating Germany’s lowpriced favoured goods, and of regaining the billion pounds’ worth of lost trade. “ Germany is gutting the mines of France, Belgium, and Serbia. In all probability the Roumanian oil wells w ill lie drained and the product stored. Machinery has been stripped from cap. turod factories, wood and resin taken from the forests, and Germany is ready to erect a big, import wall against all commodities except the raw materials she needs. She is confident of quickly establishing a favourable balance anil of regaining her world trade.” Germany is unabashed, unashamed, and confident that she will push her way into the world’s markets again. Time will show. The only certain thing about the future of German trade is that it is well organised, and that while German ships have been driven from the seas, tho Germans have not let the grass grow under their feet. The postwar competition for overseas markets will, however, not be confined to our enemies. There will be much friendly yet keen competition from other sources. In the United States wonderful strides have been made in the sphere of export, and when that country is able to turn again to export business, we must . provide better and cheaper wares if we. expect to regain | the trade which has gone Westward. | In a report on the export trade, recently prepared by the Federal Trade Commission, the advisability of co-opera-tion in American export trade is dealtwith. The United States are becoming less and less an agricultural country, and more and more an industrial one. Imports of foodstuffs and of raw materials are increasing, and exports of products, mines and factories now comprise more than two-thirds of all the export business of the country. A large section of the report is devoted to an examination of the competitive conditions which American export trade has had to meet in the markets of the world, and the comprehensive business organisation of the great commercial countries which are its rivals in those markets. Reference is made to the cobtdinatiori of the tf'ansport faciEtios,

banks, and industrial companies of competing countries, which; enables the IQ to hokt their domestic markets and to push out. into the export field in competition with others. Tt appears that doubt as to the effect of the antitrust laws of the United ‘ States has operated in many cases to prevent the formation of co-operatiye organisation for the development of American export trade, and in the final chapter of the report the Commission recommends that declaratory and permissive legislation should ho enacted to remove the present doubt as to the law and to es. tablish clearly the legality of such cooperation. The Commission believes that were this done American exporters would he enabled to compete in foreign markets on more nearly equal terms with foreign competitors. Another active and prospective competitor is Japan, where'organisation is the order .of the day. and the Government, is legislating for the encouragement of industry at the present time. Thus a law has been passed having for its object the encouragement of the iron industry, in Japan. With great industrial activity existing in the country, aid the shipbuilding boom at its height, the passing of this new law has result, ed in the launching of a number of new undertakings. Some of these schemes are financed and planned by important groups which have been impressed by the large increase in the consumption of iron in Japan, especially during the past few months.