TWO GOOD SLOGANS

Hokitika Guardian, 8 October 1929, Page 8

TWO GOOD SLOGANS

“BUY N.Z. GOODS” AND EMPIRE TRADE. CURE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT. “‘Trade within tlie Empire’ is a good slogan, and ‘ Buy New Zealand Manufactured Goods ’ is a better one, but both are good and essential /for the welfare of this country and Great Britain,” said Mr Albert Spencer, president of the Auckland Employers’ Association, in his report to the annual meeting on September 26th.

“ When one considers the, enormous buying capacity of the people of the Old Country, who buy New Zealand primary products, amounting to almost forty million sterling, it is surprising that there are sections off the community who persist in supporting foreign produotions,” said Mr Spencer: “they do not realise that the commercial and industrial activities and the prosperity of Great Britain are factors that New Zealand cannot ignore. “There was a time when Great Britain, struggling back from postwar reconstruction, could not supply all our requirements. Some of her goods were unsuitable for our conditions, compared with goods made by her foreign rivals, who had not suffered the same losses as Great Britain. “ Now that British factories have been reconditioned with greater efficiency, and her manufacturers are manufacturing goods that compare more than favourably with foreignmade goods of a similar nature —in fact, are far superior in every respect—there is no excuse for importing from foreign countries. “ If conditions in Great Britain had come up to expectations this year the price of our primary products would have considerably improved. Unfortunately, England’s industries did not show the improvement that was expected, and in consequence her population was forced to buy cheaper substitutes. Ihey are still suffering from a large amount of unemployment, and it cannot be too strongly emphasised that this unemployment can be considerably reduced by the help of New r Zealand in buying less foreign goods and increasing her purchases from Great Britain. This is a sound business proposition.”

BUY NEW ZEALAND GOODS

Referring to New Zealand-made goods, Mr Spencer said that unfortunately the buying public was not supporting New Zealand secondary ...industries to the extent that it should, nor did it realise the vital necessity of buying New Zealand manufactured goods. It was a -foolish policy to. send the money out of the country to pay and find employment for foreign labour in manufacturing goods for New Zealand when so much better could be done by keeping the money circulating in New Zealand. New Zealand factories could turn 'out manufactured articles just as good as the foreign imported ones, said the president, and in some cases far superior. It was sound business to keep the factories running full time; the greater the output the cheaper the goods could be manufactured. If everyone bought New Zealand-made goods unemployed labour would be provided with work, and produtcion costs would be considerably lowered. / The heavy importations of manufactured clothing and piecegoods could very well be curtailed, and the'effect of cutting down imports in this line would immediately have very beneficial results by keeping the woollen mills in New Zealand working at high pressure and employing hundreds and hundreds ef extra hands; also cheapening the production costs by mass production. The problem of the unemployed wrnuld very soon largely disappear. New Zealand tweeds and serges made from the finest wool grown in the country were the finest and purest manufactured in the world. New Zealand’s tanned leather for manufacturing boots also more than favourably compared with the imported article. These two industries alone, if properly supported, could employ thousands of extra hands.