“EMPIRE TRADE WEEK”

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12609, 20 November 1926, Page 4

“EMPIRE TRADE WEEK”

“NEW ZEALAND'S PRACTICAL PATRIOTISM’’

New Zealand’s “Empire Trade Week” (says the “British Export Gazette”), will undoubtedly prove a very effective and practical form of patriotism. In Wellington, Auckland. Christchurch, and other InrQe centres, Britisn goous are uemg spriiaiiv leatuiu.i during this period, ami retailers are said to be overhauling their stocks with a view to excluding all foreign goods which can possibly be replaced by the manufactures and products of Great Britain and other parts of the Empire. Moreover, the “Week” is declared to be only the forerunner of a campaign designed to keep British goods prominently before the population at all times, and wo learn that a British Trade Protection League is in course of formation with the object of instructing school children ami others in the merits and advantages of British goods. The country, in fact, is determined to assist by every possible means the recovery of British trade, and although its lend cannot be so fully followed where the population is possibly not so appreciative of the benefits of the Imperial connection, we believe that general propaganda on somewhat similar lines carried out by Chambers of Commerce in other Dominions and colonies would be most beneficial.

SMALL FOREIGN TRADE SUCCESS Of course, British trade is already firmly based in New Zealand, and labt year, when the total imports were valued at £62,456,000, the United Kingdom’s share amounted to £25,535,000, while that of all foreign countries combined totalled no more than £14,194,000. The recovery of even a proportion of that £14,000.000 will, however, prove well worth while, and we feel confident that within a very short period of years New Zealand’s present trade record, excellent as it is from the British point of view, will be still further improved.