TRADE WITH BRITAIN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 December 1938, Page 8

TRADE WITH BRITAIN

REPLY TO FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIES

STATEMENT BY THE HIGH COMMISSIONER.

•MISCHIEVOUS AND MISLEADING CRITICISM.

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received This Day, 1 p.m.) LONDON, December 16.

The New Zealand High Commissioner (Mr W. J. Jordan) has issued a statement to the “News Chronicle” in connection with Mr Moir Mackenzie's statement, saying that it is of a mischievous and misleading kind, likely to antagonise'buyers of English goods and to affront political feeling in New Zealand.”

The import licences system was not designed primarily to curtail purchases of British goods in order to bolster up New Zealand industries,” said Mr Jordan, “but to enable us to buy a maximum amount from Britain and in order to pay loan charges. We refuse to be stampeded by Mr Mackenzie into a position in which we should spend so much in England that there would be an insufficient balance to meet obligations. We appreciate Mr Mackenzie’s plea that New Zealand should be allowed to carry out a Socialist experiment. He may be assured that it will be carried out to the advantage of the people of New Zealand and the satisfaction of the London investor, and also to the satisfaction of the Federation of British Industries, unless he prevents it by his own actions.”