Children's Essay Competition...Buying Local (1934).
In 1934 school children were invited to compete in a local essay competition run by the Returned Soldiers League. The question the children were required to respond to was 'Why we should buy Empire goods and particularly those from West Australia.' Over 1000 school children submitted entries.
Two children from the Subiaco State School (Betty Chisholm and Jean Watterson) won the prize for the Senior division for a student over the age of 13 years. The essays were judged on the knowledge of the subject, spelling and handwriting. The results reflected the high standard of education offered at the Subiaco State School during this time. The essays were published in The West Australian on 21 June 1934.
Nearly ninety years the question and responses of why we should buy and support goods and produce from Western Australia and Australia is still an ongoing topic of conversation and essential to a thriving local and national economy. The idea of supporting a locally produced goods and produce is promoted through the Australia made campaign.
The article is from Trove, the database of the National Library of Australia. No copyright infringement intended.
West Australian, 21 June 1934.
LOCAL PRODUCTS CAMPAIGN.
Essay Competition Winners.
The State wide essay competition for school, children on the question 'Why we should buy Empire goods and particularly those of West Australian manufactures' closed on June 9, with approximately 50 entries, representing the choice of the Returned Soldiers' League's sub-branches in 25 separate districts and the best efforts of approximately 1,000 children.
The report of the adjudicators to the Empire Trading and Local Products Council indicates that, for the most part, a high standard was reached by the young competitors. Their grip of the subject was intelligent, their spelling very good, and their handwriting excellent. In the division for children over 13, the winner proved to be Betty Chisholm aged 13 years 8 months; a student of the Subiaco State school, to whom a cheque for two guineas has been awarded. The second prize of one guinea, went to Hilda Cartess, aged 14, of the same school.
In the junior division the winner of the two guineas was Jean Watterson, aged 12 years 6 months, a student of the Bayswater State school, and the winner of the second prize of one guinea was Myrtle Boundy a student of the Sacred Heart Convent, Highgate. The winning essays in each division are published hereunder.
SENIOR DIVISION (By Betty Chisholm.)
The reason why we should buy local goods, in preference to any other, is, firstly, to keep money in the State and provide work for West Australians; secondly, to increase prosperity in this State. It is necessary to build up our secondary industries, and the only way to achieve this is by buying local goods, and helping our own manufacturers. Thirdly, in doing this, we also help our primary producers by enabling them to sell the produce in a home market by supplying the abovementioned manufacturers with their raw materials at good prices without foreign competition; for example, wheat, wool, livestock, dairy produce, fruit and vegetables. If the principle of buying local goods and produce were carried out by everyone, this State would very rapidly recover from the depression, because the State of Western Australia with its small population, and its tremendous possibilities, its wonderful climate for producing wealth, should be the most prosperous State in the Commonwealth. When we buy goods manufactured in our own State we increase the trade of our local manufacturers, thereby causing them to employ extra local men. These extra men employed with their spendingpower of their wages each week will in turn increase trade elsewhere. For example, ten extra men employed at the basic wage of £3/10/, puts £35 in circulation each week among their fellow workmen, namely, the butcher, the baker, the milkman, greengrocer, etc., thereby increasing their trade and making things better for them, and when the increase justifies it, they in their turn will employ more labour. This example, although on a small scale, goes to that buying local goods, and its immediate effect of increasing employment, putting more wages in circulation, and keeping the money in this State should in a short time speedily overcome our unemployment problem, and make Western Australia the most prosperous Statae in the Commonwealth. In regard to buying Empire goods, the principle of buying local goods just acts the same within the Empire. To buy Empire goods will increase the wealth of the British Empire in the same manner as buying local goods increases the wealth of the State. The motto, therefore, for the benefit of all, is 'Buy local goods firstly; if unobtainable, Australian goods, secondly; and thirdly Empire.'
JUNIOR DIVISION. (By Jean Watterson.) Western Australia! As soon as we hear this name into our mind comes a vision of a sunny land rich and bounteous. Beautiful golden grain waving in the breeze, tall trees, and then comes the thrill as we realise this land of plenty is our home, the land in which we were born. How proud we feel of such a country. Our own nation producing everything she needs and each year a rich one because of the harvest reaped. Golden grain, fleecy wool, tall trees, rich harvests of grapes, and oh, ever so many other things which nature has bestowed on her child. Man also has helped to make Western Australia a self sufficing factories are made and pickles, sauces, wines, butter and many other things are manufactured, in these giant factories. Rich and poor can all afford West Australian goods. And then again they can, be, safe in the knowledge that they have the purest and best. We also must remember that when we buy local products we keep someone, in employment. Just think how wonderful it would be if Western Australia could proudly boast that everyone of her men and women were in employment. Such a thing could happen if we all supported local industry. The main reason why we buy local products is that if we buy other nations goods we are helping them instead of trying to help ourselves. We cannot expect our nation to go ahead if we did not support, local industries. Thrifty people are sometimes tempted to buy goods imported from other countries (especially Asiatic countries), for these goods are put in our windows at low prices. By doing this the shopkeepers are practically asking the people to descend to the lowest of living of the Asiatic. Australians (at any rate, up to recent years) have always prided themselves on their way of living, but this record will only be able to be kept up by the people's success and by their buying West Australian products.
