BRITISH TRADE WITH CANADA

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 136, 30 August 1927, Page 9

BRITISH TRADE WITH CANADA

THE USES OF ADVERTISEMENT Last year Great Britain bought 012,500,000 less produce from Canada than in the previous 12 months, and the lion. James Malcolm, Canadian Alinister of Trade and Commerce, having obtained a grant of £20,000 from the Dominion Parliament, went to England to study the best methods of publicity with a view to reversing the position. In an interview Air. Alalcolm was asked whether the British Government is showing similar enterprise by advertising in Canada. He replied: “No, there is no ‘Buy British’ campaign over there. The Canadian Government does the best that it can do. It has long been the Canadian policy to encourage inter-Flmpire trade. “What we buy from Britain has been somewhat stationary. We can only give preference—anything additional must come from you. You show British goods at an occasional exhibition there, but there is much more that can be done. I do not think that you advertise your goods there enough. One of the Canadian permanent staff in London commented that aCnada has found that regular newspaper advertising was absolutely necessary. Such forms of publicity ns exhibitions had been found spasmodic, and not of lasting value.

“I agree,” said Air. Malcolm. ‘There is nothing to compare with it.” “Canadian industry,” he added, “is being strengthened year by year by having branch plants of American parent enterprise established. It is a fact that in time these branches become almost entirely Canadian, using Canadian capital and labour. They order material from other Canadian enterprises. We feel we should like British firms to do this.”

Concerning the immediate object of his visit, Air. Alalcolm said: “We are entirely to blame for the falling off in your purchases. We know our goods are good, that they are what you want, but we have not advertised them.”