GERMAN TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 June 1922, Page 5

GERMAN TRADE.

GOODS FROM AUSTRALIA, CAN THEY UNDERCUT? DOUBTS EXPRESSED. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received June 18, 5.5 p.m. Sydney, June 18. At the Commercial Travellers’ Association’s annual dinner, Major Belcher, head of the British Empire Exhibition mission, stressed Australia's urgent need for immigration, but immigration must march hand in hand with the development of the markets for goods that the immigrants would produce. Mr. Graham, ex-president of the association, referring to the re-opening of Australian markets to German goods, urged the meeting to regard the date of this reopening in the light of the fourth of August, 1914. He said: “If we deal with Germany, let it be only under compulsion.” Mr. Simpson, British Trade Commissioner, declared himself sceptical about the ability of the Germans to undercut British or Australian goods on our markets. He had an experience, on the resumption of English trade with Germany, of repudiation of contracts by German firms who had quoted ridiculously low rates. Their excuse was “inability to obtain export licenses,” but this, later, proved to be untrue. He thought that the legislation passed by the Federal Government would stop undercutting, and he asked the meeting to wait till August 1. Then, he thought, it would be found that, in the main German goods would not be found to be competitive with British.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.