TRADE MATTERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 240, 3 July 1908, Page 11

TRADE MATTERS.

CHAT WITH A 'RETURNED NEW ZEALANDER. ■ Charles Onyon, of tlio firm of Onyon, Lako, and Co., returned to Wellington on Wednesday by the Ruapohu, after an extended absonce in the Old Country. ■ Mr.v Onyon has been, interesting himself in the- export of xSew.Zealan'd timbers to England! and in particulpr to. the north of Erigland r :but had been considerably ! handicapped by: timber"-' sent .unseasoned ancl not the lengths required.': If those conditions . could he obtainedj'there would be a fair demand fori our whito,pino and kauri for furniture and piano- -\ j New Zealand; veneers—of totara, kaurj, puriri, etc., were too expensive to competo with the Continental veneers, and i!° . w ould : havo.to be sent Home, in the log,; as the colonial veneers wero, generaljy speaking, too thick and not turned out with the finish of Home-cut veneers. A Ter ? £ a ' r trade .was-being'done,-in Tasnianian and South African hardwoods at * Home. Hops,'also . received, some attention from Mr. Onyon, but the Home, market had been swamped with Oregon' (U.S.), hops to such an extent that they'could bo purchased'! for £2.;105. per cwt., as against ■£4 ' normally obtained, for the Kentish, product.' When .London the people of Kent wero making big demonstrations in favour of imposing,,, a - heavy duty on imported hops, wb|ch; threatened:to" kill .the hop-raising industry: of,-, that. county. . Tho proposed licensing" legislation-would also affect the future of-;tub, industry. ;He ,had some difficulty in placing a small experimental shipment of Nelson, hops at 7d..per lb., which iust about paid expenses. - Mr." Onyon stated that New Zealand butter and cheese had a good name, and tho ;clcmand appeared to' bo an increasing one.,' He noticed-that Victoria was erecting fine premises for its Agent-General in a central position in London, and thought it would 'be -a wiso move for New Zealand to securo offices in a more central position 1 than the High Commissioner's present quarters. Speaking generally trade had been verydull during the first ouarter of,tho-year, a condition generally attributable to tho recent financial -stringency folioiving upon tho American collapse. '