“MADE IN AUCKLAND”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 580, 5 February 1929, Page 13

“MADE IN AUCKLAND”

COMMENT ON THE SUN'S SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT WHAT MANUFACTURERS SAY Prominent manufacturers of Auckland gave their opinions to-day on the innovation of The Sun’s campaign, supported by the Manufacturers’ Association, for the broadcasting of the merit of New Zealand goods and the relief of unemployment. On Saturday this newspaper firgd the opening shot of the campaign with a special supplement illustrating the wide variety of manufactures and emphasising the importance of support for local industry. Here are the opinions of the business men: H r - G Baskett, director nru! secretary of Wmstone, Ixtd., says: is to see one of Auckland’s leading daily newspapers take up so energetically the cause of "Now Zealandmade goods for New Zealanders,” and coupling with it the question of the Employment for Our Lads.” No thinking person can deny that the two questions go hand in hand, and no one will deny the supreme importance of the problems.

“It is pathetic to think that of the thousands of fine well-educated lads leaving our primary - and secondary schools, fresh and eager for work, manY will be denied the opportunitv of any opening whatever for their talents. That this must have a disastrous effect on the young impressionable mind will be conceded by all. The effort The Sun is making to draw the attention of the people of this country to the problem and at the same time supplying an undeniable solution to use New Zealandmade goods’ is indeed a worthy one and should he supported by all classes of the community. The manufactures of this country are capable of great expansion, and this could not fail to assist our prosperity by keeping money -within the country and providing employment for our own people.”

“HIGHEST PRAISE” Mr. H. Welsh, general manager of White Island Products. Ltd: “Speaking as a member of the Manufacturers’ Association, I have nothing but the highest praise for the manner in which The Sun newspaper responded to the query of the association for a scheme, supported .by a full page of advertisements, for which the association would be responsible, in support of our New Zealand industries. It is not to the credit of the other newspapers that they accepted the query in a spirit which showed that their knowledge and understanding of the importance of local industries, and that their sympathy is a minus quantity, in spite of the fact that the majority of the members of the Manufacturers’ Association pay a very considerable proportion of the wages of the staff of these same journals. Taking up this morning’s newspaper one finds that members of the association have paid the wages for the day of at least 100 employees. Of course, it is one thing to be employed and supported by local industry and another thing to realise that there is a duty incumbent upon us to develop industry so that employment should be found for more people. “X am satisfied that the action of The Sun in enthusiastically taking up the question of New Zealand secondary-indus-try and making it an integral part of the policy of the paper will mean a great forward step in popularity which will be evidenced in a tangible manner in .that the business men of the community will feel very much disposed to support the paper which endorses their own business entei-prise. “I, of course, do not agree with all The Sun has done .in the past, but such moves as the one recently inaugurated, if continued, will certainly secure a great measure of appreciation in the future.”

Tliat the fostering of secondary industries would provide the solution of the unemployment difficulties facing the people of New Zealand was the opinion expressed by Mr. G. MillsPalmer, of Palmer, Collins and Whitaker, Ltd., of Ponsonby Road, to a Sun representative this morning. Mr. Palmer expressed his appreciation of the efforts The Sun was making in awakening interest in secondary industries.

“From the point of view of New Zealand there can be no question as to the desirability of fostering the establishment of manufacturing industries within our own boundaries. We want to produce the best at the lowest cost, but this cannot be done by a Jot of legislation, which, although to a certain extent necessary, hampers and does not foster. As soon as an industry becomes firmly established others imitate, and the natural competition brings the prices down, so that in time local manufacturers in many cases are able to compete unaided with other countries. Unemployment was vitally connected with industries, said Mr.

Palmer. Restricted immigration was not the solution ol the problem, but he was not advocating that the restriction should be removed, tv tj want immigration, but we want to put ourselves in a healthy state so that we can provide for them. If the industries are fostered work will be provided for the right sort of immigrants (not Asiatics) and also for the boys who are leaving school year after year. The men in New Zealand should be employed first, and then the immigrants could he absorbed. The greater the number employed here in secondary industries the greater will be the market for primary industries. Relief work was no permanent cure for unemployment in Mr. Palmer’s opinion. He advanced the reason that as soon as the relief work was finished the men were again thrown on the unemployment list, and the problem was no nearer solution. On the other hand secondary industries would provide work.

An elastic Customs tariff should he employed to enable the successful establishment of a business, said Mr. Palmer, a man commencing in business deserving protection. The main new producing countries of the world had built up their industries on a high protective tariff without increasing the cost to the consumer. That it is essential that, secondary industries should be fostered and the New Zealand public educated to buy the products of the Dominion, was the opinion of Mr. F. M. Hills, of the firm of Thompson and Hills, fruit preservers, Nelson Street, ill a conversation with a Sun man this morning. “I think the scheme adopted by The Sun will be of immense benefit to manufacturers generally. It fills a longfelt want to have a big city newspaper take up the question of secondary industries and to impress on the public the benefits that will accrue from local trading. There lias not been enough publicity given to the subject in the past and for that reason Dominion industries have suffered.” It was recognised by all manufac-

turers, said Mr. Hills, that primary industries came first, but that was no reason why secondary industries should be neglected. A big question that must eventually be faced was the question of increased population through immigration. The subject was very unpopular just now, but must in the very nature of things, be one of the problems to be solved by the Dominion in the near future. “Where primary industries can absorb men by the tens, secondary industries can absorb them by the hundreds and thousands,” said Mr. Hills. “Secondary industries have been neglected long enough, and it is to the benefit of the primary producer that they be fostered, because the primary producer sells about one-third of his produce in this' country. “So far as the preserving industry in New Zealand is concerned,’ said Mr. Hills, “We have had to turn down hundreds of tons of fruit from Dominion growers simply because of the competition from South Afi’ican jams. This does not affect us so greatly, but must tell against the local growers. We can turn to other lines of tinned produce and thus avoid the competition. but what about the grower? It is his sole means of livelihood. I say I am with The Sun heart and soul, in this educative campaign which will he the means of bringing before New I Zealanders the services that can be i rendered them locally, and that will 1 bring back to them benefits that are ? not yet appreciated.”