FIRST THINGS FIRST. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY INDUSTRIES.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 April 1922, Page 4

FIRST THINGS FIRST.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY INDUSTRIES.

In the course of his interesting speech to the members of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce on Thursday afternoon, Mr. P. Scott Leggatt warned Taranaki against putting all her eggs in one basket—namely, in dairy produce—stressing the imminence of competition from, firstly, Ireland, when normal conditions again prevail there, and from Denmark and Russia. As one interested in manufactures, it was, perhaps, to be expected that the distinguished ironmaster would stress the importance to a young country like New Zealand of secondary industries like the manufacture of iron, though he was bound to admit that the assimilative capacity of the Dominion at present was fairly limited. Up till now it has been more remunerative for the country to concentrate on the production of staple articles like wool, meat and dairy produce. If, however, iron goods can be manufactured at a cost approximating the cost of those made elsewhere, it then becomes a sound business proposition. Mr. Leggatt himself confessed that he must obtain power with which to smelt Taranaki ironsand profitably at a cost much below what it can be produced for by the hydroelectric installations. Very cheap power has, no doubt, been the obstacle in the way of establishing the iron industry and kindred industries in New Zealand before this. But Mr. Leggatt is more resourceful and enterprising, and evidently is not going to allow the disability to block him from endeavoring to start the iron industry in New Zealand. He has thought out another way of obtaining cheap power. All with the interests of the district and Dominion at heart will wish him every success in his endeavors. Meantime, however, the province must concentrate its attention on the industry that is the foundation of its prosperity—dairying. We cannot share Mr. Leggatt’s apprehensions regarding the possible competition of Ireland, Denmark and Russia, for the reason that they have opposite seasons to New Zealand, we supplying the English market in their winter time, when supplies from European countries are naturally very short. What we have to see is that the quality of our article is kept at the very highest. Recently, mainly through the stupidity of the controller of foodstuffs at Home in rationing butter when there was no necessity for it, and thereby piling up big stocks, which deteriorated by long storage, the quality of our produce suffered, and New Zealand has had to pay dearly for the unbusinesslike conduct. But with Government control out of the way at Home, and business being conducted normally, our products arc again in good demand at remunerative prices. So long as we see to the quality, we need not fear but that we will obtain a profitable market for our dairy produce in England, no matter how severe may be the competition from the European countries.