ON RIGHT LINES

Hokitika Guardian, 5 June 1931, Page 5

ON RIGHT LINES

NHW ZEALAND INDUSTRY, "STICK TO AGRICULTURE." LESCON FROM AUSTRALIA. Premature industrialism in Austral a, and to a much lesser extent in New Zealand, was, in the opinion of Mr R. S Conrow, who arrived in V ellingtcn by the Marama' on Tuesday, one of the contributing causes to the present depression. Mr Conrow is the special representative of the Armco International Corporation, a company dealing exclusively with sheet iron and steel which has world-wide ramifica- , t.icns. After a short stay in New Zea- , land he will proceed back to Australia to tbe East, and then to the United , States. I Mr Conrow, in an interview with 1 "The Dominion” newspaper, described New Zealand as "one of the finest little, conservative, steady-going conn- j tries that J know of.” New Zealand, j ho said, was proceed ng on the right lines in attempting to still iut tlior develop her primary industries and in- j crease production. The country should stick to its agriculture, for that was what it was really suited for, and could never in any circumstances become a manufacturing country on account of the remoteness from the world’s markets and centres of population, and the comparative scarcity of coal and iron resources. In Australia, he continued, there were too many industries, which were merely struggling along with the assistance of high protective tarffs. thereby crippling trade. He noticed in Victoria generally, a much better state of affairs than in Now South Wales. People seemed to be more confident in Melbourne than in Sydney, their being so much radical ekmeiit in evidence in the latter place. However, tlie-j’oc-ont conference of the Premiers seemed to fie an augury of a more hopeful situation. All he had met in Australia seemed to he willing to make a genuine earnest effort to pull tile country out of its present serious position. Already in the United States tne metallurgical industry was showing an upward trend, he added, particulai fy ill the automobile section, but as yet the industry was only working to (iO per cent, of its full capacity. Indications were for a (let* (led retnal before the end of the year.