JOHN BULL’S NEED

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2914, 25 July 1925, Page 4

JOHN BULL’S NEED

BUY BRITISH GOODS

The Empire is so constituted that very few, if any, parts can stand alono, and this is especially the case so far as X.Z. is concerned —we stand or fall with England. If she cannot afford to buy our produce, wo lose our best and probably only sure market for raw material, this would mean national insolvency. The financial and industrial situation in the Old Country therefore, is vital to us, and is one which causes concern. We have only to read I tic cable news t o realise this, but anyone who also reads tlie leading English papers must see that John Bull is “up against" a very serious proposition. This is due to several causes which we propose to examine shortly. THE COST OF THE WAR. The war cost the Empire £10,054000,000 (ten thousand and fifty four millions) in National wealth (men, money and property). Of this huge sum the actual cash it cost England alone was £7,0(i(i,000,000 plus £l,730.000,00 ft lent by her to the Allies for which she lias so far received no payment of capital or interest so she is carrying £5,805,000,000 on which she lias |o pay interest. Of this sum thero is due to America on the funding arrangement about £l,~ 000,000,000 and England lias to pav over £30,000,000 a year interest on this sum.

Largely as an outcome of the war and its aftermath, we find the National expenditure enormously increased, in 1913 it was £197,000,000, in 1923 £789,000,000, a. rise of from £4 1(1/5 to £1(1 0/5 per head of the population. The great burden of this expenditure has fallen on industry, by the direct taxation of its income. In .1913 direct taxation produced 52 per cent, as against 48 per cent indirect taxation, in 1924 it was 03 per cent, and 37 per cent respectively. Direct taxation now nmounts to about £435,000,000, tins is drawn out of industry. Taking an income of £50,000 per annum, we find in 1.914 it paid £4,029 as ngainsf £27,578 in 1922, an increase of 584 per cent. Another burden is the local body rates, which in 1921 amounted to £152,000,000, having risen since 19.13 from £1 8/11 to £4 9/7 per bead in 1921. All these increases are drawn out of industry, most of which would otherwise have been available as surplus income for investment in foreign enterprise, which would lead to export trade. INDUSTRIAL UNREST. This is another vital factor. Had England got to work seriously immediately after the war, she could have regained much of her shattered trade. But, unfortunately "Rod" agitators got to work and caused grave industrial disorganisation to an extent not generally realised. The time lost through strikers since the war lias increased fivefold —the average time lost between 1900 and 1913 was 7,742,000 days per annum against an average of 37,700,000 days per annum from 1919 to 1923. This means enormous economic loss, not only in production hut in purchasing power due to loss of wages, while- it also adds seriously to the cost of production, which prevents competition with countries which have settled down to real hard work. 'The sad part of tins wretched business is that the majority of those strikers have been “unofficial'’ —that is against Trade Union discipline, and against National agreements, also in the majority of cases nothing has been gained which could not have been had without striking. Such is rhe result of Communist ngitation. WHAT IS THE MORAL? Buy British Goods —and so assist British manufacturers in every way possible. A favourite maxim on which some men pride themselves is “There is no sentiment in Business.” We do not agree with this, but for our purposes we will accept it as sound for the moment. Quite apart from our sentiment for “the old man,” John Bull, we must realise that even if it costs us a little more we must do all we can to holster up British industry because unless we do so England cannot buy our exports. For our own salvation we must therefore continue to Imy in England. Thus apart from sentiment such a policy is good business. (Contributed by the N.Z. Welfare League).