AUSTRALIAN WOOL

Hokitika Guardian, 12 November 1930, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN WOOL

DISCUSSED BY DEPUTATION

[United Press Association —By Electric

Telegraph.—Copyright.)

(Received this day at 11 a.m.) LONDON, November H

That Australian wool was treated as foreign in assessing the proportion of British material entitling British woollen goods to preference, was the bitter complaint of a manufacturers’ deputation to Air Seullin who replied that Australia was so anxious to help Britain that she penalised her own products. This was one of seveial anomalies which it was proposed to remove. Mr Seullin emphasised that the woollen industry was natural to Australia, which could not continue sending wool twelve thousand miles and importing the goods made therefrom.

A deputation from 250 manufacturers’ representatives of British Trade Association were introduced bv Sir Arthur Balfour at Duckliam, gave Mr Scullin the best of reception. Mr Scullin urged industrialists of Australia and Britain to consult and discuss specific lines to be reserved for manufacture by either country.. He did not claim the Australian tariff was perfect. A wool manufacturer’ interjected that Australia was building up non-econom-ic industries. “in that case they are bound to fail and you will enter again,” said Mr Scullin, who claimed that prefeim tn 1 tariffs were the principal, though r.ot the only method promoting inter-Tm-perial betterment. Some Austr d- m /industries did not produce all the vnties of goods required". He suggested in such cases certain mnrkets or a portion of the markets be allocated to manufacturers in different parts of the Empire. Sir Arthur Balfour said it seems to us that there is room for a little more help in regard to preference. We send money to Australia 'for goods and Australia .sends this money to United States. If Mr Scullin can make any preference gesture it will make it easier for the Commonwealth to borrow a little more money from Britain. The moment is extremely opportune. We can show faith in Australia by not withdrawing money over quickly. I proclaim my faith, in Australia and wu back it to the limit.