EVEN DEVELOPMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 29 April 1925, Page 4

EVEN DEVELOPMENT

BALANCING PRIAIARY AND (SECONDARY JNDL'STIU ES.

AA'EI.LINGTON, April 27

“Keep your primary products and your .secondary industries well balanced. If you attempt to develop the .second at ilie expense of Hie first you will find that it must l.e at 100 great a cost.” These were the significant words ol Sir Julia Davies lu-dav. Sir John, who is a virc-elinirmnii of tlie famous firm of Baldwins, (.id. iron and steel maiiiifaei nrers. has jnsl arrived in New Zealand. 1!.- advocafes an exchange of Empire goods in all prin t ii-.'ihL* fields and a u hole-henrted assault upon the problem presented by marketing and freight. AYe should agree upon a. definite policy which would lie of use to In.(h in.linns, said Sir John. “II is very essential in young countries, such as Auslralia and New Zealand, tliai they should keep in (ho closest possible loach with the Old Country, w 1 1 i<• 1 1 has been of the greatest passible service to them, and will emiti ll ue to In* so. AYlial strikes on very forcibly is that there is not that i chit ion-hip between England and Australia and New Zealand which one would oxpeH. It should come, and T hop;* it will come, bill 'll present il does not exist. From our point, of view il, does not exist in trade fur several reasons. There are three factors which 111* 1 n to explain why we do not take .- o innnv of your products as we might the eo-.t ol production, ol freight and of distribution. Jn some eases tin* losi of pi .iduet ion is tun high. In others the trouble is freight. In others again all might possibly he too high. 1 have investigated tin* position very thoroughly simo I left: England; and 1 am profoundly jiiipi'e.sod with Ihe nossibiliHes of Auslralia. I In* magnitude of \*. I*.i■ 1 1 is not appreciated by the people al Home. They have no idea of jus! how much these* lands are lapablo. “Take your meat and fruit, for example. There are thousands of tons ol (mil in .Australia to-day going to waste. The Australians are doing, their best to ensure good canning, grading and inspection. They have a great deal to bat Ho with at the moment, l.ui ar, taking every | ••-..ibl:* care. Al. Home you are up against compel i t ion. and I am trying to di.— i over why other countries should he able tu undersell you in some of your staple products. At present it is a mystery to me. Of course, you can-

not, send your meat into our country in the same condition as the Argentine, hut experiments in chilling have been made and improvements have been effected. I know that an experimental parcel now is on iis way to the Old Country, and that if it arrives there in good condition ii may lie possible to land your meat in London at say, 3;|d to -Id per pound, in. Hie case of beef. That is buying cal tie in Queensland at from £3 Ins to £t 10s per head. “Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean to refer to your Canterbury lamb, ol' which 1 cannot speak too highly. It is in good demand at Home, bid we pay for it. There is a vast difference between what your producers get for lltc-ir products and what we pay for them, and f cannot, seo that .it is not possible to cheapen marketing and freighting both ways. AA’e should come to you both as buyers and sellers, not as sellers alone. II wo sell t inmates to a cannery, lor instance, wo might offer to market the products in that cannery at the other end.

“The* great thing, too, is to keep the primary products and the secondary industries well balanced. If you attempt to develop tho second at the expense of the first you will find that it. must he at too great cost. No country can have a monopoly. Of course.

once England was the man til act tiring and industrial emporium of the world." AA'e cannot hope to hold that position always, lmt it is to the credit of the Empire that we had it once. Still, we manufacture much and wo can manufacture 'more, and it seems to me that it is only fair that the Dominions should take from us many of those things with which wo can supply you. and that we should take from you those things which we can use. at no matter what cost.”