TRADE WITH CANADA.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 148, 17 March 1908, Page 5

TRADE WITH CANADA.

AN INTERVIEW. STEAMER- AND CABLE COMMUNICATION. ' ; • • (B\ TELr.CRArn—SPECIM, COnitESrONDENT.) Auckland, March IG. Mr. J, 'S.'Larke) Canadian Commissioner, who,' arrived' from Sydney, yesterday, oir being ; interyip'wed, said . his .. business-was .to promote trade between Australia and Canada, and between the two Dominions. Canada to-day, ho said, was buying Now Zealand but.ter. and wool in England, 'whilst New Zealand .hemp wont to. the mills that were nearly' all in Eastern Canada, and had to pay freight ovor 4000' miles of\ railway, as well as shipment, mostly by mairsteamers to Vancouver, which .must, necessarily ' mako the. rates too ihigh for.bulky:articles. ' "If wo had lines -of stoamers," ho continued, " between Eastern Canada arid Australasia, it 1 would give us the third side of the.triangle, instead of the ttvo sides the trade has now to. take. Tho third side is natur.ally shorter-.than the two, and it would enable Canada to buy, a . little cheaper, and your people jcould* get a little better prices by dividing the extra cost between:thera." ; Asked; as ,to .Wostern. Canada, Mr. Larke said that in the West s tho people wore also consumers of mutton, butter, and Australian' fruit, and .to-day largely ,of onions, Now •Zealand, did not'share in that trade, because they had no direct, ships, with tho cold storage. Economic transportation, which was the key to >trade,-.had yet to bo worked out. Something had'been done by tho aid'of subsidised lines to Vancouver. The Canadian and Australasian Steamship Corfipany wcro putting on. larger ships with modern accommodation, .meeting', to,..somo' extent,, tho pas-senger-trade,; but freight had yet-to bo pro-vided-'for-X.:

- Regarding, the '.cablo ,system Mr. ; Larßo •regards.-., the present, .system of: cabling by the' Pacific; cable ;as a very important ..matter for' Australia and New Zealand, but it had not helped-Canada-very much; he said, because, Canada had no great interest. ,' Canada, , said-:Mr.- Larke,; pushed tho construction of, tho. cable, New Zealand and Queensland co-operatod, , and brought, itabout. Sir Sandford- -Fleming, who promoted t-ho N cable,- was: still'-active'. in endeavouring tohave the scheme completed. , "It is an Imperial : system of cabling for the "Whole Empire','!.continuedl Mr. ,Larked "with' Stateowned: cables via the Indian Ocean' as- well as across' the Pacific." :-By the -reduction of rates by one half; Mr. Larke .considered tho ■cables would be kept fully .employed, and the interests;of the/Empire would-bo.materi-ally promoted from / a pecuniary I point of - viow. -The : products', of Australia and Now, Zealand would reap nearly the 1 , whole of the -.beiibfitj' whilo : tho . manufacturers .'.off England; -'and': Canada : wcro .not' very- .much"concerned .as to what they paid for cables "pro-viding-'they got it. as cheaply, as their rivals. 1 Tho cost, of cabling' ; w r as included .iri the cost of the goods, and upon that cost prices were iixod,",ancl tbs consumers'. and producers; of 'Now ' .Zealand' 'arid had to pay those prices. •/'"/■.-' y''\ 1 ,. ■ • - '< - " Thero is a scheme, of course," said Mr. Larko in' reply, to .'Questions,' "known as' the ' All Red' routo from Great ; Britain to NeWZealand .and South Africa, one:,that is so ; ambitious that .it: require; somo education ,'-the ; countries:'; concerned;'; ' which' meahsVa/ 20-knot service from Great. Britain' to'; Cailada; . and ■ an.'lS-khot service, from Vancouver to':Nex';.Zealandi'-".-The promoters aro; still active; but ;as yet' the people aro not apparently: prepared to ."face the subsidies' that are necessary to induco .the pco 7 ple''to -put I ]their money into..'the Doubtless, diivtimo, publig ' cducatidn' will 'produce its results, and .tho mail service between'; at least, Great' Britain, Canada, and New,/ Zealand' will :be . marvellously ,! improved.". ; - ';/-'.■ !'■ : /REPORT BY 'MR, GOAV. ; •.' In;i!isvjreport on ..possibilities of tradoj.with Canada,' 1 rMW J-.-;6rah^m'rGow, j -\yhor,recently madO|. inquiriest here-, as New -~-Zealand? s -ro T presentative,- stated.' that ■ at. -present h0..-sces :good,'chances'of'adairge trade, in, canned: goodsif'the.prices ,of.tho United States .and Eastern Canadian-markets could be'mot.,,lf, our merchants could get into ,-touch/ witlr Vancouver.-, buyers; steamers which' left periodically - for, -.tho.'-'Yukta' territory could, carry cargoes of canned/meats,' jams, > and .fruits into the territory;'-••• There, .was - unquestionably also a'.'good- market for New Zealand 'mutton in the West of Canada,- but before the trado could.be. properly established a direct service of refrigerator steamers • from Now Zealand to Vancouver would bo : accessary. ' Tho long, cold , winter', : makes: sheep raising in; Canada impossible, . and importers i there state that tho'superior reputation of New Zealand'-over Australian 1 muttoii:would earn for it a great market in. Canada. /'•;'/ "' ; : '

. .'The field jij .W.estern;Canadaifor manufac-ture-goods; from New' Zealand,/states Mr. Gow; -is-practically limitless, and when tho many factories which 'aro now building: in the West'are completed; there; will an" opening for a large quantity.of onr'raw material. At Toronto therb are .'many,.'inquiries foi) New' Zealand wool. -;jWriting .of; -mutton., and lamb, Mr. Gow. /says: "A, splendid opening in/both East. arid -West; 'ono' merchant, prepared to take 100,000 carcases per ypa'r. "Ontario has an average of only, thirteen sheep per farm;' and the number;' has decreased sby 100,000. per; year, for the last five years.'"' Of wools, •" various brands well known to' Canadian : ; Krokci l s'- through London markets,,, .manufacturers evidently prefer to -purchase m London owing to financial, arrangements. ,New Zealand -must send representatives to Canada'with full power! to arrange and quote settlements." . :