TO CRUSH GERMAN TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 September 1915, Page 2

TO CRUSH GERMAN TRADE.

' COMMERCIAL MEETING IN WELLINGTON. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, September 13. A public meeting was held at the Town Hall to-night in furtherance of the campaign inaugurated by the New Zealand federation of Chambers of Commerce to develop iliter-Imperial trade. The mayor preaided, and there wore also present Sir Joseph Ward, Hon. A. L. Herdman, Mr. W. G. Wickham (British Trade Commissioner), and leading mercantile men. The Mayor referred to the growth ol the German foreign trade in recent years with which British countries had appreciably helped to provide Germany with the sinews of war for the campaign she i 3 now waging. That should not be, and the ohjact of the convenors of that meeting was to end such a state of affairs. They should cease for all time to have trade relations with a country whose conduct has been such as they could not respect. Sir Joseph Ward dwelt on the importnace of developing find protecting the country's trade. They must do all possible to increase the trade of the Empire, and to cement trade interests between themselves and their Allies. During the last eight months before the war imports into New Zealand from Germany were valued at £1,140,000, though actual German goods so imported were valued at only £620,000. That illustrated the importance of the new system of showing not only the port of shipment, but also the place of origin of the goods. Austrian goods imported were valued at £40,000 and Turkish .?oods at about the same. New Zealanders should, therefore, remember the trials, perils, and sacrifices they were now going through, because of a war forced upon the world by Germany, and they should determine not to trade again with enemy countries. Their policy should be preference to the Mother Country, preference to sister Dominions, and preference to the Empire's Allies, and he was inclined to say also to America. He was not prepared to condemn the present attitude of the United States. America had supplied Britain and her Allies with 175 millions' sterling worth of munitions, and if she j had been at war she could not have done this. America, too, had thrown open her ports to some of New Zealand's most important products. Hon. A. L. Herdman congratulated the Chambers of Commerce on the step they were taking. Our first duty today was to kill our enemies, a- u (he second was to do our utmost to ;pe the British Empire a new lease of life. nation ever did so great a wrong to the world as our present enemy, an'l victory over her -irnies would not b? a sufficient penalty. Xluy niii.it see Germany crushed and tro'.i:!en unler foot, and the German people wrecked politically, socially and commercially. The interests of' international justice demanded such a sentence, and justice would not be satisfied until that sentence had been .-nrried out. The meeting carried resolutions urging the diversion of all import and export trade formerly Tarried en wivh Germany to countries within ill - Empiie or to allied countries, and urging the. Government to impose a surtax after the war is over on goods from (indent enemy countries. RELIEF FUNDS PROPOSAL. Dunedin, September 1.1. At a meeting of the Otago Patriotic and Welfare Association to-day the following scheme was submitted as an indication and guide to delegates representing the association at the conference at Wellington on Wednesday to consider relief funds: (1) Local effort fo» .raising of funds. (2) Local administration of such funds, with (a) co-operation with other associations to ensure equitable treatment of all claimants wheresoever domiciled; (b) co-operation for mutual financial assistance where funds are proved to be inadequate to meet local claims, with necessary safeguards against undue wastage; (c) mutual understanding as to basis of responsibility with regard to districts; (d) mutual understanding as to rendering first aid at porta of disembarkation, while in hospitals, or elsewhere, any assistance thus given to be recoverable from districts which are entitled to bear responsibility. To this end associations might reasonably, place funds in the hands of the associations at ports of disembarkation. After lengthy discussion the proposals were adopted.