TRADE PROSPECTS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3377, 5 January 1920, Page 6

TRADE PROSPECTS.

A BETTER THAN EVER. M , Mr C, M. Luke, president of the WelK lington«‘Cham'ber of Commerce,‘ refer- ' ring yesterday in conve-rsa'tion;with a Times’ representative to the trade ' prospects of the New Year, said’: “In my opilnion, the ‘present outlook for the trade of the Dominion is better than at any period oi our hi§foT'lV, This is 111: very large measure due to .the high, prices for our primtary produce now: ruling—-prices which I believe will con- ‘ tinue for some years to come. Naturally these products must form the ‘larger proportion of our exports, but the conditionsthroughout the world point, I am convinced, to the opening up of great opportumities for the develop~ ment of our manufacturies, generally _l:;10wVn as our secprrciary industries, The opening up of these greater. Op-I portunities will, I think, be brought about mlainlyv by two factors. One of these is the higher standard of living, wliichlmust now prevail ~throughou_t Great Britain and the rest of the world, thus enhancing the cost of manufacture and thereby enabling‘ us , maintaining, as We always have, and I hope, ~al-ways will, higher social conditions, and a higher proportion..oi:Y.,.Ltl_le comforts of life for our workers most other countries, to co_mpete_.:-tto. greater advantage than in the past- ..

“Another factor that should tend to improve the prospects of our Inanufacturing industries is the fact that so many of our raw products constitute a large. ‘proportion of the total {value of a manufacturezd article, as, for instance, in the ca-se of Woollen goods, and in -that of boots and other leather goods. With it wide vision, and with courage to grasp the "opportunities that are oifering, the development of our means of transportation, land especially the development of our hydroelectric power throughout ‘the Dominion should prove trenlellcloug'factors in ' increasing production and cheapening the cost of our m'anufa§ltures_ ~ I;,‘ ' “Given a proper understal;ldfirfg”"'“b_es' tween labour and capital, as‘th3y'”§‘te': generally called-be=tween those." who invest their capital in these in_<‘lu_s,tries’ Bind those employed in them——-I s"eeWl‘l‘(i‘ reason why we should not experience a phenomenal increase in ‘production and in wealth generally. In these nratters I maintain the best interests of the Dominion -can best be served by‘ mutual good understanding -and by‘eaeh side conceding to the other its fair shareof the increased wealth that the increased production must bring about.”