Made in New Zealand.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7867, 8 July 1905, Page 2

Made in New Zealand.

CHRISTCHURCH, July 3. The Press has been securing the opinion of leading local manufacturers and retailers as to the effect of carrying out his suggestion in the Governor's Speech, that all goods manufactured in the colony should be stamped and marked as having been made in New Zealand. With one or two exceptions everyone interviewed declared that there is a very strong prejudice against colonial manufactures, and that they are very difficult to sell as such. Incidentally one gathers that no small quantity of locally-made goods arc sold as English, and under that description they have a ready sale. "And," remarked one gentleman, "after all they are English, arc they not ? Of course, 1 could never describe them as Continental, for that would be untrue." In short, "made in New Zealand" seems to be as poor a recommendation as "made in Germany." A dry goods merchant, referring more especially to such manufactures as soaps, candles, and so on, declared at once that the policy foreshadowed in the Governor's Speech was a "huge mistake." Whoever advised the Government obviously knows nothing about the matter. He said, "Goods manufactured locally arc genuine and firstclass in quality, but there is a noted prejudice against them, and if in future they are to be branded as being a New Zealand manufacture the result will be that our industries will languish, and the bulk of our manufactures -will diminish. Sold as imported goods they give every satisfaction." Another man engaged in the same business Was not quite so omphalic Branding will certainly not assist the boot and shoe industry in this I colony," he said, "It Will, if anything, militate against it. On the other hand, I do not think anytm'ne very perceptible will result, because as a matter of fact a good many lactones brand their goods already There is at present a great run on American footwear, but the English are gaming ground, assisted by the preferential tariff, which raises the price of American goods,'* Leading dealers in' stft, goods do not object to branding, an fe d » them believed n would assist the sale of local goods because of the r superior quality.