NOT DOWN AND OUT.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 218, 15 September 1925, Page 9

NOT DOWN AND OUT.

ENGLAND DOING WELL. , FAVOURABLE TO DOMINIONS. AUSTRALIAN'S ADVICE ON DAIRY INTERESTS. An entirely favourable atmosphere.for both New Zealand and Australia exists in commercial 'circles in London, said the Hon; Sir James D. Connolly, lately Agent-General for Western Australia, when interviewed yesterday by a "Star' : representative aboard the Niagara. For the past six and a-half years Sir James has occupied the position of Agent - General,.and he is now returning to Australia with his daughter to attend to his affairs, after which he will again take up residence in London, though he has not decided whether it will be of a permanent nature. "But wherever I may go, I shall always be an Australian, for I believe that Australia and New Zealand are the gems of the Empire," he said. "Instead of losing my interest in Australia, I have become more attached to her.

"Previous to the war, and, indeed, till lately, the average Englishman did not appreciate the importance and the potentialities in natural of the British Dominions, more particularly those of New Zealand and Australia, but as a result of the record demonstration of loyalty and strength manifested during the war, the atmosphere is now entirely favourable," said Sir James. "We in the past have understood even more than England the meaning of Empire and one has only to reside in England for six or eight years to appreciate more fully the wider advantages that are bestowed upon us in these distant parts. I have heard it stated glibly that Old England is down and out. Such is not the case. Trade in England today is greater than ever it has been, and, it may be said, in a much truer sense than ever before that London is the commercial centre of the world. Better still, London is the heart of the banking world, and is still the money market of the world. New York has not replaced London, despite what may be said. There is not the remotest chance of that happening. Like many other things, banking is carried on in London on au infinitely higher plane thari it is on the other side of the Atlantic, or on the Continent. England has faced great difficulties during the post-war years, but her people have met those difficulties like true Britons. True, there is a great deal of unemployment—l should say a million to a million and a-half were unemployed—but that can bd explained by the fact that emigration has not befen carried on to the same extent as it was formerly. Till recently the Dominions could not absorb since they had their hands full in providing for the settlement of their returned soldiers. Whereas 350,000 emigrated annually prior to the war, scarcely anyone left from 1914 to 1919, so that goes to account for the surplus of labour."

Sir James did not think it likely that a Labour Government would ever be returned to power again, though Labour had done more than most people expected. The Englishman was a peaceloving and non-revolutionary type, and Sir James did not think the present troubles would end in disaster. Those who talked of possible revolutidn had not studied"the position.

A Word About Butter. As Agent-General for Western Australia it had been part of Sir James' duty to study the markets for farm produce. "I want," he Said, "to congratulate New Zealand on the very fine system followed !id the matter of refrigerated produce, particularly lambs, butter, and cheese. While New Zealand continues on the same lines, adhering to a proper system' of standards and grading, she has nothing to fear. I do not wish to criticise, but, if I may venture an opinion I may say that the butter trade is in danger of over-legislation. If the marketing of butter is in any way restricted—as it is hinted will be the case—and thereby confined to narrower channels, New Zealand butter will be seriously affected. If I might say so, the Dairy Produce Board should act in a way to that which the Meat Board is doing—that is, in an advisory and helpful capacity. There should be no interference with existing channels. Though all the existing channels are not good, the system has worked well in the past> and it must not be overlooked that it has taken hundreds of years for those channels to be built up. If New Zealand produce is directed out of those channels it will be to the Dominion's i detriment, since attention will be turned (to the Danish, Argentine, and other butters offered on the market."