VIEWS OF CANADIAN TRADE COMMISSIONER.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13910, 8 December 1910, Page 7

VIEWS OF CANADIAN TRADE COMMISSIONER.

(raESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAMS.)

AUCKLAND, December 7,

Mr W. A. Beddoe (Canadian Tradte Commissioner), asked to-day for an expression of opinion on the cable message with reference to the Vancouver mail service, reiterated his previously expressed opinion that there should bo no reason why a service could not be run, as not one da[y would be lost as compared with the present service, which does not include Auckland. "In other said the Commissioner, "the inclusion of Auckland in the service from' Vancouver to Sydney and Melbourne, or Vancouver to Sidney and Brisbane, will not lengthen the time or delay tho mails one hour, but to include Auckland as a port of call and then proceed to Sydney and Melbourne, back to Sydney, and then to Brisbane, returning to Sydney as the final port of departure from Australia, and thence across to Auckland, would be a serious delay. Such a route, in fact, would not bo practicable, for Brisbane is on one side of Sydney and Melbourne on the other. It is a matter for regret that Canada has not got preferential trade relations wirth Australia, which would put Australia and New Zealand upon common commercial grounds, but that is not tir> fault of Canada exactly, because Canada is willing to enter into inegoHiations." ''It appears to mc," he continued, "to be rafher unreasonable to expect the Canadian Govern~»nfc to ignors the just claims of New Zealand in'tlm matter of a port of call scorn? tlmre -xists between New Zealand and" Canada reciprocal preferential tariff arrangements. The Canadian Government is a business Government, and I am Telyine unon the business acumen of Sir Wilfrid Laurier and his associates to deal with this matter equitably. Again, I say it emphatically that I cannot see why we should exclude New Zealand as a port of call under the present commercial relations, however much I rectret that the trade relations between Canada and Australia are of such a character as to antagonise Australian in any consideration of the admittance of New Zealand as a port of call."