THE EMPIRE'S TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 October 1916, Page 8

THE EMPIRE'S TRADE.

'ADDRESS BY Ml. COMMISSIOKER.

There was a very good attendance at •the boldiers' Club rooms last eveni-ig ac the invitation of the Chamber of C'cinnierce, when Mr. "R. W. Dalton, KM. Trade Commissioner for .New Zealand, delivered an address on Empire trade matter;!, both during an<l after the war Mr. A. Mcliardy occupied the chair and apologies were received for the absence ot Sir. J. D. Sole (president of the Chamber) and the Mayor. Mr. Mcliardy briefly introduced Mr. Dalton and explained the objects of his visit to New (Plymouth.

Mr. .Dalton, who was received with] applause, said that -the primary importof his engagement in anil mission to New Zealand was the furtherance of Empire trade. The Board of Trade in the Dominion was, he said, different to that at Home, yet there seemed a ception that they were run on the same lines. The British Board of Trade «as a large Government Department, at the head of which was a. Cabinet Minister" The part of that Department he (Vr. Dalton) represented was a commercial department for developing Empire trade, and it comprised 'between three and four thousand officers. Prior to its establishment a, few year;, ago no British officials had been appointed to represent the self-governing Dominions, but officer* were now representing these. His duties were to find out what "exports were offering, what trade was being done inside and outside this part of the Empire, and to obtain all possible information that would tend to Empire'trade. It was a duty of his to stress complaints, a number of which had already been received, and place them before the Board. His -purpose in at present travelling New Zealand was to see what the country is like and to place his views before the Board. Two days in New Plymouth was not enough, he knew, but his rapid progress on this occasion was to accomplish as much as possible, and a more extended visit will he made later. For inter-Empire trading, ,said Mr. Dalton, there were three paramount causes: (1) Desirability, (2) loyalty, (3) i consideration of business. , DESIRABILITY. Regarding the desirability of interEmpire 'trade, everyone was aware of this, if only on account of the war, and 1 neither Britain nor her self-governing f dependencies were ever going to let (iermany step in as she had done in the i past. It Has a matter for self-preserva-tion, not a question of vindictiveness. Many common articles prior to the war, and which were wanted for war purposes, ftid never been manufactured in England, and there could not he found means for their manufacture. It had been a very undesirable thing for the United Kingdom to find this, as nuir.y art-idea for war purposes could only be manufactured in peace timet LOYALTY. ' There was tio need to expand "oh Empire trade from a patriotic standpoint, and during his nine months' stay in New Zealand he had been more than astonished at the extraordinary patriotism. Here, at t'lie Antipodes, we had heard a lot about the making of munitions and shells, hut that _ was by no means all that wag being done. Seventyfive per cent, of the workers are engaged in war trade. For instance, the toy trado workers are now thus engaged; tin train makers and makers of every description of metal toys are engaged on war contracts. Brushware, hosiery, glassware and other trades are all 3imilarly engaged. This was all a loss to the Home manufacturer, who knew it. Thero had been a great deal of talk about the capture of German trade, but this was no more than the capture of British trade. But the mamifactuier knew this, and ho knew that he must supply the Army and Admiralty before all his private contracts. The excess war profits in Britain now meant more than all private contracts could supply, but the Government had regulated the extent to which profits could 'be applied, and what also could be devoted to the production of material. Probably at the beginning of the war big prices had been paid, but the Imperial Government was now paying rock-bottom prices for all purchases. Now, -buyers were going round beseeching the manufacturer to sell at any price, but, of course, if the manufacturer chose to play fast and loose with the Government t'he latter could not stop him. The present result was tae loyalty of the manufacturer to the Department and trie State. No doubt he was losing because of that loyalty. From what he (Mr. Dalton) had observed in New Zealand there was a similar feeling here. Certain articles t'liat buyers could purchase they did not, and held off from entering engagements until British manufacturers could profitably re-enter the field. He personally knewjand gave an instance) of agents tending to "cry off'' British manufaettirers and take up foreign agencies. CONSIDERATION OF BUSINESS. Mr. Dalton was of opinion that Britain after the war would he better placed to compete with other nations, and there would be greater enterprise. He had found a strong belief in tile Dominion, as there was elsewhere, that the British manufacturer is the most unenterpria'ng on the face of the earth. But this wan not so. Britain had found an a nr."; of live million men, mostly from the manufacturing classes. She was maintaining 00 per cent, of her export trade, and no other country on the face of the globe could do that in these exhvme times. If the manufacturer had not siven all that was needed it was due to the impossibility oi doing so. A cam - jiaign statement hud been made that Britain could not carry on her expr.rt trade -because she was not in a position to carry on her manufactures. \'o statement 'could he more ridiculoi:=. If she could not maintain her export trade she could not maintain her productiveness. She was expending live millions per day for war purpose, and mo.-t of that was going back to the manufac-

turer. Industrial England had taken on a new lease of life and color in the installation of machinery, and no one who knew the England of a few years ago would recognise it now. Our competitors had begun where we left off. The volume of work now, said Mr. Dalton, is so inconceivably enormous that we ar« able to scrap our works and build new ones. Take our motor ear works, gun works, etc.; as soon as the war ends their "scrapped" supplies will at onee be used on something cognate to their own peculiar industry. Other manufacturers will have to go to the far corners of tlie world for material to keep their industries going. How much nearer are they going to he to the Dpminions? He knew that Britain was now in a position to produce a far larger amount of machinery, and this- fact would come home with far greater force, when the war ended. It was a fatal business for agents or buyers in New Zealand to engage with foreign manufacturers for any contract that may extend affcei the expiration of the war. There was no article produced in Germany before the war that could not be, and is being, produced in Britain, and all these will be put on the market as soon as the conflict ends. There had been a great development -by the Home Government towards -business concerns. Agents in New Zealand did not at present know nor can they conceive what the' phase of commercial life will be when the war ends, and when peace does come the New Zealand -producer and manufacturer will only buy British manufactures.

Mr. 'Dalton concluded a most interesting address amid loud applause. In answer to a question, he said that British shipping companies had in the past been very philanthropic. They had been taking German goods at lower rates than British goods. German shipping companies had attempted—indeed, had accomplished—the building up of a trade with New Zealand, but tlua was not likely to occur'again. Mr. W. J. Penn moved a very hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Dalton for his instructive and illustra t ing-address. Mr. Dalton that evening, and in- personal conversation, had shown such a grasp and knowledge of the trade requirements of the Empire that he (the speaker), in Mr. Dalton's own words, "had not eease'd to be astonished." The motion was supported by the chairman, and carried with acclamation, the Commissioner briefly acknowledging the vote.

Mr. Dalton will he in attendance at the Chamber of Commrrce oliice.s to-day between 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock, and will 'be pleased to meet any business man who wishes to consult with him on anv matters affecting trade, shipping, etc. He will leave for Ilawera by this afternoon's train.