AUSTRALIA’S PROBLEMS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 585, 11 February 1929, Page 9

AUSTRALIA’S PROBLEMS

DIFFICULT TIME AHEAD

PRAISE FOR N.Z. MARKETING

••Australia has not developed a good marketing system. In that respect she lags far behind New Zealand.” That is the opinion of Sir Arthur Duckham, head of the “Big Four” Economic Commission which recently visited Australia to investigate the economic condition of the Commonwealth. Sir Arthur is returning to England by the Niagara, and stated this morning that his greatest regret was that he cannot spare the time to visit New Zealand. “Australia is a wonderful place, with a wonderful future, but she is in for a difficult time in the next two years, he said this morning. “The cost of production is high, and the Labour situation is due largely to the system of Arbitration Courts —both State and Federal. “The best tiling Australia has at the moment is the Industrial Conference, ’ continued Sir Arthur. “It promises a good solution to the present troubles.

“There is no doubt that Australians are good at making things,” he went on. “I have never seen better efficiency in many of the factories, but the high wages and protective polioy make the cost of production high. This makes it difficult to market Australian products against world parity.” Referring to Australia’s system of marketing, Sir Arthur said that her fat lamb and butter markets were not on a proper basis. New Zealand has infinitely better methods, and he hod hoped to be able to spend some time in the Dominion investigating our marketing methods. FUTURE OF ANTIPODES By the end of this century Sir Arthur thinks that the balance of the pupu - lation of the British Empire will have moved to the Antipodes. He is desirous of seeing sound trade relations established between the Mother Country and the overseas Dominions, and to effect this the purchase of Dominion products must be encouraged in England. One of Sir Arthur’s most treasured souvenirs of his recent tour is a presentation which was made to him in Melbourne before he left. It was signed by people of every phase of opinion—employers, bankers. tradesmen, women, etc. So far there has been very little criticism of the repoi i submitted after the “Big Four" had made its investigations. Sir Arthur Duckham is head of a big English engineering firm, chiefly concerned with fuel. At present he is interested in the production of smokeless fuel and oil from coal. Sir Arthur’s firm is at present building two smokeless-fuel plants for the British Government, but it will be three years before it is known whether they will be successful. “I don’t think the manufacture of smokeless fuel will solve the oil problem,” said Sir Arthur. “For one thing, the method of production is too costly, and an enormous quantity of coal must be used to obtain only a. moderate quantity of oil.”