DOMINION’S PROSPERITY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1758, 29 November 1917, Page 3

DOMINION’S PROSPERITY.

SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER. Speaking qt the third annual meeting of the Association of New Zealand Chambers of Commerce, at Wellington, yesterday, 4he Rt. Hon, W. F. Massey, Prime Minister, thanked the president for the reference he had made to the National Government. The National Government might have its faults, its failings, and its shortcomings, its sins of omission and its sins of commission, but he thought he might say this: That looking round the Empire there was no other country whose affairs had been conducted so smoothly and worked so well as they had been in this country since the establishment of the National f Government, and he believed that fact was largely due to the administration of the men who were at the head of' affairs at the present time. (Applause). He congratulated the conference upon the prosperity which the Dominion enjoyed at the present mo- - mcnt, and especially upon our being able to keep up our production and maintain our commercial connuection with the other countries of the Empire, and more particularly with the heart of the Empire itself. He need hardly remind them that it was not easy to keep up our production under the circumstances —as a matter of fact, it was a very difficult thing to do. They must remember that there were very few short of 100,000 men —the pick of the men of this country —the bone, sinew, brain, and muscle —who had responded to the Empire’s call. The departure of these men had made a'difference in regard to the output of produce by this country. It was a matter for congratulation that the British Government and the British people had been able to supply us with such a very large number of ships during the last three years, so as to enable us to gel our products away to the British troops, to the armies of the Allies, and to the people of Great Britain, He asked the Government Statistician that morning to supply him with the figures showing the exports and imports of the Dominion for the first ten months of the present year —thqt was to,say, up to November. For that period our exports had amounted to £26,282,878, and our imports to £16,571,049. Under the circumstances, ho thought that was very creditable to the people of New Zealand. He wanted to call their attention to this: That the two months not included —that was to say, for November and December —and he was speaking perhaps with inside knowledge —we would send away not less than live millions, and probably six millions, worth of produce. Those present would no doubt agree with him that it was exceedingly important (hat daring the current year New Zealand should send away about thirty-two million pounds’ worth of produce. He was speaking approflrximalely, but be thought the figures he had given would turn out to lie correct. It would no doubt lie said t that owing to the present circumstances the prices weye high, That must be ■admitted, but even so he thought that what had been dope had been exceedingly satisfactory. The Prime Minister then dealt with the shipping question, Imperial preference, Britain’s self-con-tained empire (so fur as commerce and supply of raw - materials are concerned), and the importance and necessity of New Zealand and Australia keeping the German possessions we have taken in the Pacific.