PRESERVE THE EMPIRE

Hokitika Guardian, 5 July 1927, Page 4

PRESERVE THE EMPIRE

AN ELOQUENT APPEAL

FOR PREFERENCE IN TRADE

An eloquent, and at times an impassioned, appeal that British markets should be held by the peoples of the British Empire was made by Sir Archibald Boyd Carpenter, a member of the British Motor Delegaion, at the luncheon tendered the delegation in Christchurch by the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Motor Trade Association. ”1 am not quarrelling with anyone in business who does the best for himself.” Sir Archibald said. “But you cannot, avoid this issue. While you may get more from a business point ol view, anil from the point ol view ol your own affairs in respect ol monetary .success, you are going to he laced with the fact that those views arc wrong, and that there U a wider i>-

“If Great Britain. Horn any cause, is unable to take 87 per cent ol your products, where are you going to send them ? Are there /benevolent people who will come to you on their knees and say: We like your butter and for goodness sake send it to us; lbe markets of tile world have to he held: but there is no reason why the marices of the British Empire should not he held among ourselves. (Hear, hoar). Anything that weakens one part of the Empire weakens another. What, would he the position—and I speak quite plainly and frankly—it our financial position was hampered, or attacked, so that it could not carry mi the ordinary services of Govern-

ment. Suppose, tor a moment, that the linancial position became so acute that wo had to reduce expenditure on the Navy. Who’s going to look alter your stuii’ going across the sea !' Who s going i > lie so benevolent its to provide protection? The strength of one is tlie strength of all. Believe me, we live together, or die separately! You have mountains of land's being

raised against you. 1 am not going to discuss the merits of tariffs—the main fact is that they are there, lie have to look lor markets, and where better can we look than within the four corners ol the British Empire, where your strength is increased by our strength. That is the main position for us to lace.

FACING THE l ACTS

“I should be a bad and evil missionarv ii 1 did not say to you : 1 lease don't regard the lactof ol temporary advantage for it may he your permanent. loss. You will find that that is the thing to he laced by every British citizen. We maintain that we arc bringing down our costs and that we want your counsel and help m dealing with t liese matters, and ask

you to give us ol voiir best as wi

are giv'tlig ol our best. I.ct us consider our (liHiculties. let us lake counsel. and let us by concerted action eradicate nneinlo.vment by inducing a greater (low o! trade and thus add to ehe strength of the nations that make up the whole of the British nation. ALL PARTNERS. 11 You nro no longer daughters ol ours, you are partners, and il consultation is not possible, wind is the value of partnership? It would he heller not to be there unless we can take counsel together. Never by anything you say. or do. do anything to irritate an opinion, or sentiment, or do anything to weaken a tic. Uni can explain and argue, lull don’t accept as ordinary tact every sort ol little waslilub conversation. Sometime 1 think that more 1 barm is done in political and industrial matters by tlie tittle-tattle of old wives over tubs .—most of it is based on want ol knowledge, /'ii ignorance, on spite. You cannot afford to do that when great interests are involved. You must conic to a complete understanding and never take up the attitude

of a club, or a woman’s tea party. TUG ISSUES AT STAKE. “We want your considered views, not only in respect of the motor trade, but on every phase of trade. Perhaps in these great decisions lies something bigger and greater. It is whether we are to exist. You cannot light amongst yourselves and you must not take an altitude that will j wealcen yourselves, or any other porj lion of the British Empire. We have gone through the biggest: -I niggle the world lias over known. New Zealand sent tho In I’fiosfc number of men in proportion to population that any Dominion sent to the war. I maintain i licit * I icy are speaking to you to-day and tiny are asking you to remember then, as they went to the aid of the .Mother Country in the greatest ot all struggles, so you should aid the Mother Country in her struggle to-day. They laid down their lives for New Zealand as much as for the Mother Country, and they know to-day that the success of one is the success of the other, and that both should come together, or drop out of the picture. In their message which they send you from beyond the skies they appeal to you—-and to me—to give of your strength, of your conviction, and of your courage; otherwise what they laid down their lives for is dust and ashes—gone beyond our ken—it is nothing. The British Empire represents the one factor in the whole world that has stood always for combined peace, for the liettormcnt ol mankind, and the progress, health, and comfort of those sections of the community less well endowed with this world’s goods.” (Continued applause).

BRITISH TRADE IX X.Z. ROME STRAIGHT TAI.K, The “British Export Gazette.” commenting on the official records o! the trade of New Zealand during 1920, says: “The market is as promising as any within the Empire, but we would repeat that the need for easting overboard the parrot-cry that all is well with British trade in New Zealand is urgent. Possibly it may be held in some quarters that we over-esti-mate the extent and prospects of foreign competition. This we do not admit, but it is manifestly better that even tjhat should he done it it will bring about an abrupt awakening from the false sense of security which lias arisen through the long success of British goods in the country.

“Too often it is held that commercial patriotism is more apparent in New Zealand than in any other part of the Empire, and certainly far more is heard of foreign competition m South Africa, to take one instance, than in the Dominion under review. Yet during the first six months of 1926 50 per cent of South Africa’s imports originated in Great Britain, while the corresponding figure for Xew Zealand was only 46 per cent. Obviously, therefore, New Zealand’s reputation as the model Empire market is in need of refurbishing, and (■here must he a plain acknowledgement of the fact that more effort is needed by British manufacturers and shippers and importers in the Dominion itself if further losses to Biitish trade are to be avoided. With the buying piolicv of the Government and of the various municipalities little fault can be found. Wherever at all possible contracts are placed with the United Kingdom, but it is undoubtedly time that New Zealand as a whole should realise the facts wo have brought forward above.

At bottom the Imperial spirit is sound but it must be stimulated to prevent further losses.