The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 1920. PROMOTING TRADE EXPANSION.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 January 1920, Page 4

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 1920. PROMOTING TRADE EXPANSION.

It is gratifying to find that practical steps are being taken to develop and stimulate trade within the Empire. The British Government has sanctioned expenditure on a scheme under which a travelling exhibition of British manufactures will be held at the principal commercial centres in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and possibly in the Par East, with the object of attracting Dominion buyers. The most im,£QKi#afc. SMtYA JiLQKev.ftrj tag been

made by Canada, where the Government, with a view to increasing the export trade, has embarked upon a shipbuilding policy, and a fleet of 53 steamers, varying from 5000 to 10,000 tons each, has been ordered, twenty of which are already off the stocks, while some are in commission. The Government has also purchased the assets of the Canadian Northern Railroad Co., including its vessels, and has agreed to purchase the property of the Grand Trunk Railway Co., thus obtaining possession of the two' trans-Continental lines from the Atlantic to the Pacific and securing through freight from Canada to New Zealand. According to Mr. W. A. Beddoe, Canadian Trade Commissioner in New Zealand, there is a disposition on the part of Canadian exporters to do business with New Zealand, the manufacturers realising that it is a good thing from an Imperial point of view to buy and sell within the Empire. Mr. Beddoe considers it would be a more desirable course for New Zealand to sell its raw material to Canada direct, instead of, as at present, sending it to New York, where it has to be bought by Canadian manufacturers and converted into the finished article. The soundness of this advice is apparent, and the provision of shipping facilities would doubtless have the desired effect. From a Canadian'point of view the arrangement would certainly be beneficial, but if Canadian industries are to become prosperous, by manufacturing the raw material of New Zealand, why should not the latter do the manufacturing, reap the profits and save two freights and other charges? The matter is one that we have stressed on several occasions, It may be argued that the matter is one for private enterprise, but on economic grounds it is of national importance, especially at this juncture, as the finances of the country need support in all possible directions, and particularly from industrial expansion. The Canadian Government is assisting its , manufacturers, and rightly sto. It j would be equally good policy for the New Zealand Government to foster the establishment and equipment of secondary industries whieh would appreciably add to the prosperity of the country for all time, not only by keeping considerable sums in the Dominion, but by utilising by-products to the best advantage. Capital is an essential for this work, and that is where a State Development Bank would be of inestimable service. New Zealand possesses in an exceptional degree the raw material for many important industries, and if research work is, as it should be, undertaken on a thoroughly organised system, industrial expansion would ensue by leaps and bounds. It is no use merely touching the fringe of the problem. What is needed is a bold and vigorous policy on sound business lines. We simply cannot afford to continue the present wasteful methods in face of the heavy financial burdens imposed by the war. There is another matter connected with national prosperity that is worthy of serious attention. The president of the Marseilles Chamber of Commerce (M. Artaud), who is known for his independent thinking and frank speaking, recently put in a strong plea for unrestricted dealing, or in other words, that the State should cease from interfering between the producer and the consumer, besides leaving the workers free to have as big a price for his work as he can get, for that would set him on the way to becoming an employer, thereby making commerce and industry more active. This question, of course, has another aspect, but the main point o" M. Artaud's contention is that the less restrictions are imposed on trade and commerce, the better will be the results obtained. What suits Prance, however, may not fit in with conditions in New Zealand, though the end in view may be identical in both countries. That Britain is moving ahead is evident from a receut speech by Mr. Churchill, who said the country was on the high road to recovery, and was quickly getting into its stride, adding, that manufacture was expanding, and expenditure rapidly decreasing. These two features are needed in the Dominion—expansion of trade and industry, accompanied by decreased expenditure. The Government lias a unique opportunity for laying. the foundations of industrial activities that will place the country on a footing of imperishable solidity, besides being in the van of industrial progress. The effort to promote industries is well worth . while.