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Hokitika Guardian, 30 May 1932, Page 4

In formulating the general lines of its policy of the Conference, the Government necessarily has been obliged to consider the. position as it exists at present, and the events that have, led to the meeting shortly to be held at Ottawa. This Dominion, even to a greater extent that the other Dominions, is, and always lias been, dependent for its prosperity upon the (scale of its primary products in the market a of the United Kingdom, and with a. full recognition of all that is implied by this fact it has been the consistent policy of New Zealand to purchase its requirements from abroad aw far as possible from those who buy our export's, namely, the people of the United Kingdom, a policy dictated also by the general desire in this Dominion to follow deep rooted sentiment and to trade with our own poopV. The system of British preference adopted by New Zealand (and also by the other Dominiums) hats lent itselt dining many years to an effective direction of trade into this channel, and as a result ot the preference tints afforded the oeople of this Dominion have become by 1 r tin. largest purchasers of British goods |x*r capita in the world. This policy lias cost the New Zealand consumer a substantial ;jum of money annually, but this in-

variably has been cheerfully accepted not only as a good business policy, for every purchase of British 1 goods in New Zealand lias the effect of enabling the British purchaser to buy New Zealand goods, but also as a reasonable and proper acknowledgment of our special relations with the United Kingdom which has for a lengthy period maintained its policy of free trade, a policy which, in the conditions formerly existing, lias no doubt contributed to tlie prosperity of that country.