WEALTH AFTER THE WAR.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1744, 23 October 1917, Page 4

WEALTH AFTER THE WAR.

A London correspondent .of an Australian journal writes emphasising the great opportunity ‘that will come to the Australian producer and manufacturer at the end of the war, and his remarks should be taken to heart- by New Zealand traders, for what can be done in the Commonwealth can also be done in this. Dominion. Everything that the colonies can produce, whe-. ther in raw materials or foodstuffs won from the land,- or in made-up, goods resulting from secondary industries, will be wanted in all the countries of Europe, and particularly in Great Britain. The colonial troops have brought to the notice of the British people the fact that we can produce a high-grade quality of khaki, boots of unsurpassed quality, and a whole .assortment of other military equipment, while the extensive contracts with the War Office and the Admiralty have resulted in millions of soldiers and sailors being supplied with foodstuffs of various ‘kinds, always with results satisfactory to the consumer and to the country or origin. There is no finer tinned meat at present on the market than the various lines which the colonies are turning out —in fact, the Admiralty makes no secret of its preference for the colonial article above all others. The correspondent proceeds: Enormous quantities of tinned jams, in the contracts for which nearly all the States' are sharing, are finding their way directly into the hands of the Tommies, and it is significant of their opinion that the present rate of barter in France is two tins of any other kind of jam for one of Australian. Travelling by train the other day, I met a Tommy straight from the trenches, who carried in bis hand a tin of Jones’ O.K. jam. Attracted by the familiar label, I asked how he had come by it, and he replied: “Oh, this is the stuff they give us in France. I nicked this tin, and am taking it home for a treat for the wife.” He also remarked that the high-grade quality of the Australian jams had completely killed the old prejudice against tinned stuff, and that the variety of “sorts” was one of the great advantages. Mr J. R, Campbell, the enthusiastic Trade Commissioner for Queensland, is a warm advocate of the establishment of retail depots on this side for the sale of Australian products. He pointed out, and. every other Trade Commissioner confirms, that the great majority of Australian products have never had a fair chance on the British market. Of course, most of the principal lines are now sold direct lo the War Office, but even in prewar days, when thousands of tons of Australian meat and butter were sent here, traders rarely disclosed .the fact that they were dealing in Australian products. Our butter, on account of its absolute purity and consistency, was, used to an enormous extent for mixing with inferior makes, and the common practice in restaurants was to add milk extensively by machines sold specially for that purpose. For the benefit of the staff and a few friends, Mr Campbell has established a little depot at the Queensland office, and he buys in small quantities, butter, meat, honey, or other goods which may be available. He is convinced that if he were permitted to establish a retail shop a good business would rapidly develop, and be of inestimable advertising value to his State. Of course the opposition of the importers would have to be reckoned with, but this should not be an* insurmountable difficulty. The big exhibition hall, at Australia House, which should be an admirable place for opening a retail depot on a large scale. The direct sale to the public under a guarantee of purity would certainly be a more effective method of advertising than the mere placing of the goods in show cases.