BETTER TIMES

Hokitika Guardian, 16 September 1932, Page 3

BETTER TIMES

• , •.'* ~*%Y SIGNS OF' iIdUE OONFIDiNOE. ; LfAEIGE NEWSPRINT GOM-pANY’S-ACTIVITIES.

CHRISTCHURCH, September 14

Theapproach of better times is seen By' Mr lan F. Bowiater,, a principal of Bowa-ter’s Taper Mills, England, who arrived ,in .- Christchurch yesterday on a business' .tour of New Zealand He was accompanied, by Mr E. W,' C. Hughes, managing-director of Bowlather’s (Australia), /Ltd., > who also has. found sighs of returning confidence "in y both Australia and New Zealand. ’ .> <

-'Bowater-s Paper Mills /produce annually 175,000 tons of. large -proportion of which ■is ’exported to the colonies. The mills are among the most modem and in the world, 'and 1 during the last- six years nearly £3,000,000 has been spent on, machinery and plant, all exclusively British.* The ..- Australian company controls the sale of'newsprint and paper from the mills in Australia and New Zealand. “Ndw Zealand ranks as one of our; most .important export/ markets,’’"said Mr .Bowafer‘ in a.n interview yesterday. “Tt is .'therefore a great satisfaction; to us /that the Dominion has so obviously turned the /cflWier, aiid also that/dslm is giving such keen support toißritjsh industries. The feitufetion ip England is that we “ are YunV .miioh' more Y con r fident of the future,. 4«,ip%;;ciwjiimistic, in. fact. The general ;rim-rc|||cm 'is that „ Britain has undoubtedly rounded the. bend. Conditions are easier and money ,is more l , free. Australia,, T 'b.'V’M soy. is, in a similar improved position.” As >a firm, added Mr Bowater, their nolicy had been that advocated so --treriuously by the Prince of Wales—to go out and see theit■■customers and •l is cover at first hand what i these oi’.*?, Yuma* mauled. Tlie/firmbeliervcd Oiat dt, was only pqssible>to maintain .’is trade■ with .Now 'Zbalaud,>l# an 'xnct* study L of re ' UTiremcnts. and - ' last ten ' r fewer than .six .yisits hijd been.' ; niade ,#>■.

Zealand- by - -members of- the ' London officC. , Air Bowater himself, made, the tour thieie. years -ago. “I have been tremendously impressed with the . patriotism and/Imperial sense existing in the Dominion,” he. said. ‘‘lt is obvious, tokfa.v that the -necessity for economic links within is greater thian ;ieyer before..’.’., ■ . : . || Discussing the economic conditions in Austra'la and New Zealand during the past year, Mr Hughes said that in spite of the difficult times the linn had Ibtbn f catenate in selling more paper in the two countries than in any 'previdus yehr. Because of the fact- that newspapers" to-day were making a big feature of illustrations, it bad become nCcCssary to produce a better grade newsprint than formerly, and' ille English mill's had done tlie'ir utmost to produce a paper which would meet their requirements. There was, of oUiirse, a heavy charge -against this firm’s customers on account of primage duties and exchange, these in: Australia lamfluntinig to 4 ’per cent, and 25! 'per cent, respectively. They were hoping tlhat the shipping companies would ■ fall into line with present ideas and make some reductions in freights, which were now ns defer-hs they were in the “boom” period fend twice as dear as before- tbe war.

“The general position in Australia has definitely improved,” said -Mr Hughes. “ Unemployment has biYu reduced, with a consequent relief to the Government, and in Sydney, there are committees of citizens working for a further reduction /in the tjV- ..unemployed. There are /ajbo f -omimittees , elected by the tenantfeJ of s'M»ei ! nl streets who are encouragirg P’r dividual'' in those streets ;to .emphw;y>xt.rn labopy. whom this is pnsfMOo. Their efforts' have been markedly cessful. ’* H “During the few months " pricr? to the Long Government being thfjdvn o.nt, we felt in New South Wales we were sitting on a., volcano;,” >l' r continued. “We just went/fllftno- from day to day, waiting fo- something ty happen, gild it was .anticipated tbp. l wit' l f-ortain forces organised, and opposed to one n”oth y, /jhe s.'igliteH;, move might set n match on the fire, Had ‘the Lang Government been ,re r