UNITY ABROAD

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 February 1939, Page 5

UNITY ABROAD

BRITISH EXPORT TRADE POLICY EFFICIENT COMPETITION TO BE MET. HOPES OF ECONOMIC PEACE. (British Official Wireless.' RUGBY, February 6. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Overseas Trade, Mr R. S. Hudson, speaking in Belfast today, referred again to the question of securing greater co-operation among those engaged in export trade, particularly in view of the probable intensifying of German competition by the now familiar German methods. “I think we shall be compelled to combine and speak with one voice, sinking our individual preferences and prejudices in a larger conception of the national interest,” said Mr Hudson. ‘•The exact method by which this dual purpose of individualism at home and unity abroad can be achieved must be a matter for each separate industry to decide for itself.

“My task is to stress the need, if we are to maintain our existence as a nation, of putting up a good fight without delay against a very efficient competitor. The Government will lend all the necessary assistance in this.”

While we were now living in a period of economic war, Mr Hudson thought that a large measure of economic peace was within our grasp in the next few months. A concrete example of what he had in mind was the agreement reached within the last few days between the coal industries of of Germany and Britain, an agreement which he hoped would be extended in the very near future to cover other European coal-producing countries. Economic peace and collaboration to the advantage of all would take the place of economic war, with all its resulting loss and waste. What had been done in the case of coal could, he hoped be done in the case of other exporting industries.