BRITISH TRADE.

Taihape Daily Times, 2 October 1919, Page 3

BRITISH TRADE.

MAKING A GREAT RECOVERY.

A COMMISSIONER ’S VIEW.

Ml’ S. VV. B. McGregor, British Trade Commissioner in Australia,’ ‘in ‘ the

course of an ‘interview on Bri'fain’s trade position after the. war, admitted that figures showed that it ‘had been badly hit, but he derived encouragement from the fact that it was mak-

ing a great recovery of the prominent position it occupied before the war with respect to overseas trade. What -that position was was not generally known; but the -order in 1913 was: United Kingtloan, £1,4.03,000,000; Ger--many £l,0(i2,000,000; United States, £355,000,000. ()‘f'the export trade of the United_ Kingdoni in 1913 the most important countries to which goods were sent were. India, Germany, United States, France, Australia, Russia, Canada, and South Africa, in tlrat order.

One sometimes heard it said that the British nranufacturer, or Incrchan.t, was lacking the enterprise or push of foreign competitors; but those who have 23. close acquaintance with trade conditions of British. industry have never agreed with those individuals who are never weary of decrying the methods of B'ritiSh inanufzxcturers or merchants. They fully recognise ‘the difficulties under which British industry has been conducted during the past 20 years, and they are not so foolish as to suppose that the greatest trading nation in the world is the most backward in its methods. On the other hand, there is evidence -that in some cases prosperity has acted as a check to enterpi-ise, and has damped the en.-fhll'Sii-ISIII of seine of the o=lder-es-tab lished firms.

Mr McGregol', too pointed out that it was British men, brains, and money that had assisted in opening up the overseas ‘C{OllD:‘[-I‘i(:‘S, not by any means all of them British, and" at the same time Great Britain had maintained its e.omlnel'cir.ll and financial supremacy in the world. lH*e.’felt sure that in the course of time the great financial sfrength of Britain before the war would be restored. _

Speaking of his own Department, that of overseas trade he said ‘the ‘idea. of appointing trade commissioners was very largely due to Sir Joseph -Ward ’s influence with the Board of Trade, which in 1908 started the commissioner service. That Depa.rt.ment7 was strictly Imperial in character. It has made the idea good already. To show how it was linking up the eonimereial interests of the Empire, Mr’ McGregor said certain. parts of the Empire were already using the service. (For instance the Trade Commissioners for Australia and New Zeaiatnd acted for the Government of India, and the Trade Commissioner in India acted for the Government of Canada. The work of the Department was growing, for presently there would be fifty men as Commissioners in Various parts of the world, and the majority of them would have been recruited from the ranks of business men of wide 'e_\:perience.

Reference was made to the labour difiicultieg in the United Kingd.o~ln and their influence upon -the admittedly necessary industrial expansion, in view of the lleadW:l_y lost. thl'oug‘n the war. Mr McGrevgoi' did not. minimise this seriousness of this aspect of the matter; but, he -observed, “It is more and I‘110':'0 recognised that the iiianufaeturer employing labour has duties towal'ds them and towzn-(is the State to dis e‘n.ar.'ge, and w'ni<:.‘h are not by any» nl;_':2ns fulfilled when he 11113 merely succeeded in keeping up the turnover year by year. Pnitish iniillsfi'ia'l labour \’-«as passitig througii its grow.fng pains. That had t 0 be I'eao_'_}'nised, ~.r:;1s lwing in;-eogr.is-ed. iil~l9\\'iSO the re;<;._3onsi.biiity to the 3_':t-ate. Ml‘ .i\leGl‘e~g—‘ x-stag not at all uneasy as to the future in this I'GSI)O(3i‘.. Show and talk

were not strong (e}Tal'ac.'ie:'isti-:3 of the British people, but the trade figures they were able to put forward,/even during the war, were <:bl;tainly eloquent. -

As to any manufacturing aspirations New Zealand nligllt‘pha.v—e, Ml'MoGregor thought that there need be no conflict of interests between this country and the United Kingdom. The strength, and wealth of New Zealand lie in thoi land. The development of that, to-] gether with such secondary industries as were ‘essential or economiceally posible, would fully absorb the energies of New Zealanders for very many years to come, and make necessary the purchase of large quantities of manufactured goods from abroad. No country can with advantage be selfcontained. Great Britain’s “experience had been that the more a country prospered -the greater the exchange of commodities with other countries became. _The British Overseas 'l‘-ra=de Commissioners everywhere wished to help local manufacturers as well as n_lerchants in obtaining the fullest and most trustworth_v informati-on respecting the supply of machinery, plant. goods. or materials from Great :13:-itain and the Dominions. That was the reason for the existence of the i Department.