BUSINESS TO DO.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 940, 6 October 1910, Page 6

BUSINESS TO DO.

"A NATION OF SHOPKEEPERS."

1 CANADA'S PART,

TRADE COMMISSIONER WELCOMED

The Council of the Wellington Chamber of. Commerce met yesterday with the object of extending a welcome to Mr. W. A. Beddoe: (Canadian Trade Commissioner):! Mr./'H. C. Tewsley presided and • other. mpmbers l . w}io ; attended; were Messrs... G., Wilson, J. ; G.. Harkness,. Jv Macintosh, D. ;J. Nathan,. J. M'Lellan, A. 10. I'earce, E. G, Pilcher,. W. Allan, C.-'W:.'Jones;' and W. G. Uuthie.,- Mr.'VG. ; Hv F./Rol 1 'lest'oh: (British;: Trade '.Commissioned) was. present; by; invitation.'■ v' v' : ."'V': In welcoming Mr. Beddoe" as; one who' had, Come to' foster /trade,' relations 'be,'tween: New : Zealand ./and,; her.Telder. sister, . the ' ohairman'.'toubhed -briefly upon the. >respeot j ,'in which .his-predecessor,- Mr.' J. -S^.-'Larke,'/.had : been- -lield. i: Mr. Beddoe knew/ Canada, north, /south, east .- and; -west. He..had ,not ,gained his.knowledge' from books, but. from. ,travel 'and; experience; .' He knew.''well , what 'the country -was capable'»of /and -.also/its', possibilities in the' way/ of trade .with: this-Dominion/ Meeting,. Mr. /'Beddoe in this . way.. they had '.ho apolitical' ;. thought, but '. 'looked rather, to. / the,'tradition that: they /were "a- nation of /shop-keepers." He was glad to : note that their visitor had expressed himself as 'an/ardent Imperialist; and" an, exponent /of the ; view .'that - byprything: possible . should/..be done to foster ' pre..fetential; and reciprocal trade within the ,Empire;!--/Thespeakerf was .confident.: that : M7.'>Bedaoe'; ; l»-/aboorded. their support and-very, best sympathy.'.':

Why a Comnissioner Came. :'/ The . address /delivered by Mr:-. Beddoe in-part..covered./ground I ;traversed in an srifervieir^■wlfict'%'ii's/' published in The Dojiinion on Tuesday. : At' the outset he. explained; .that, his; /appointment,,;ss.-'-. the first .CanadiarATrade Commissioner with'.a jurisdiction'eSending'only > to'N'ew:Zealahd : was'/due: to'his;,/ ; Gbyernment/recognising, that /' tlie; t trahiaction:/; of., all airs ..relating ; 'to , : :j«w.!''Z^lmdr l 'W.'.a : dent'-.in Sydney was unsatisfactory. A- : very,: 'stroig'.- request' had bwn . advanced, and'.Backed ,by political "and; trading.' in-: ■terfetsv in./Canada/for^ 'oL trade /'commissioners': to the Argentine and / Brazil.The., Canadian'.' Government, .'decided,-;, :/hbwever,; / .that,/ until , ,all; the'/, /British:' ; ;'/'c6lohies '/rliad. been supplied i with v. trade ' commissioners, none ''sho'M'd/Abev/VentV'/to:" foreign:- countries.' .In '.his subsequent: -remarks Mr. Beddoo dealt /at/'somb: lbiigth, with , tlie,' establish-/ ;nient; by./his. .Governmeiit /of.: a subsidised', lino : d( /steamers I from ' Montreal, to: Aus-'; tralian and. New/ Z^landfports. /It would to' his hearers) as; business menj; that/aivalriabld/opp'ortuuity.-'hereprbsent-' ed - itself :to A'ew Zealand. / This cojintry:' traded--'jrith;''Caiiada;: on. particularly /fav : ; our'ablo' terms';. .. . V : -;K He ,hnd' beoii asked a "qucsiion as to' the/class-of r S gbods':'that;:cbuld';be'."sliipped /from/.; Cahada ftto;-:New s ' : Zealand/-f They held/the .viewun Canada. that they, would toZ/fiupply/'any/miinufac-. /tured; article as r che¥pily : as'S-it; could:/:_be: ;supplied/, : anywherS;","except ; . in Britain. U'n'-icertain' .manufßct-ares:-Britain /enjoyed a'.prbreihihence,';but,i'ex'clu'dihg these, Can-, . adaV Md: an. unrivaHed.' 'position. ■, -.OTwy-' had.' ; ;?eyery;;^ the; moment he; could,/riot-think :of /any -raw. material,/thit;'Canada/-had: i .Aqt' , got.v:.;';i'i-/ i difßcult^'iof -the: moment op-; ,'pbsi.ng;/.the '.extension' of, trade /was. that' 1 /there 'of .' goods ■ from .'Cari ada. tb'ij'New; Zealand. ! The/explanation/was/thai'wi-tho.grooving West; of great;;'a; demand' 'for /manufacthred/r'MticlesV&at. 'manufacturers ;in .'the. East;had 'not • fos-~ .tered; : foreign .;,trado';.as; they, ymightj/otherfi - Wise have!/done;. ;•/; Ji; / vv s -R.'rf;'P '/./".We : hpe/busihess/.tb'doi" : decjared'tlib; • Commissipneri' "and /we- woiild, like/ to, do/ jiit qtej^tpmOTS^'ckf! fi&K' ''' :Mr. Nathan on the Meat Aspect. :;' Mr-'iDZ/J/'Natnan, 'while :thahkihg" ..'Mr; ,"Beddbe/'for: Ms/'addressi; Remarked ' that' it: had been of. a very general cliaractor. It Was .iiecessary. to '-have.f.'specific, informar . tibn/.before'goiiia'.iiito the.questi6h,pf:.ehr : deayouring to//force';ah'.;inc'reased/ trade,. jTrit]t:Cdn'a.da.Voi-;^V,hfn.-:^:^Beddpe' ; .' talked 1 :of■^sending6oo:i'carcasies-.of: mutfbn;;tqva townv/bf/-:; ,600,000 SUuha^ ,'speuker) ! was not ; inclined/ i/Bnthnsiastic y'byer,ithe;:prospects ,'pf:;",j:he;. 'mut^' : jtive^/deyelbpmeht'/of trade';':/'with'':;;.'Can-; /tbo/,liiih,;£ ? tb'' ; /pretty; : .mncli : ;7-v!6h.- : :'.Jtlip:'.'Mmbljines i -'as; trade with/ the ..West. .. Coast //, of England. The : movement;; in cacli .'case • must ; bo gradual://: Some of them bad. had a' : bitter :qxperiehce;'bf :t trying-; toivopen' up frosh markets 1 for,;.the; benefit-pf. ofher. people. Inplying; millions of ; people,/.but- Mariohesv ,ter,-, : B)^tol^:and;>6l^ow v rfot';'/shbn-n,.:themselyes;:/re : '.to / do: any; speculating; in - frozen/ mutton on, ;th'eir; Wn/behalf.;/ NevivZealand ;exporters were/ 'asked; to': talce ■/their, goods,; from.';an').estab'-.. lished ialnd ',sqhd : -them: Home, on^ 'consignment; to -a'. new..market,' with; a: promise' -would-/be obtained.' - Their friend . (Mr. :Beddbe);hW:wactically -told /'them//the sdme'VtKiiig;-1; If tHey.' iv«re/.,t0 /go to Can-' ada, tlie' speaker 'o'pined-, and ask. manufacturers'.,to/ send , consignments 'of itheir 'goods,'.'down..here, ' they ".would /be "turned down." '-:'■'/ r ;-J / v" : ■ /-, /;/i ■ ' v.'"' /- ; '-</'.■ ./ He-had/been;;in : hopes/that,,Mr;, Beddoe, would have cor.io,along and/said.: "I,know, .'pwple/Vwho : will-.'use/'-hides;, muttonj - or : butter,"/:ahd ;: ;h'ave/s,statedVa ; price.''; iPer.'ponally,; the speaker believed that -New. Zealand. exporters;:'would have a much' better/chance of/doing; trade on, the West Coast ,'of : Canada-thany.on the 'East.; ! ,;ln. what/theyfwkhted; was' to" be/ ,told ;the'-eitent;:.bf 'the'.market and .'the/ prioes obtainable;': .They . should- not be asked:'to • send': goods' on ? consignment. >At ■ thb same ,time, Mr.' Xathancontinued, he,thoroughly 'and: earnestly believed ;that it'was in the interests of the British race to. do as much,,trade/"as.-, ipojsible amongst themselves: : . - /Av///:'i, : ;v; ■/' Mr/ Beddoe explained.//He; thought -he had,-made it '.clear ' that/ it-- was not -his function to/pfombte trado/from New Zealand .: to Canada. ; Incidentally,/ he :, had ■mentioned':' that' Canada offered' a promis-. ing, market ; for niiitton. In /all '; Canada there - were only three - -million . sheep.Mutton sold at Is. /per, lb. retail/in Montreal shops.:, They could not raise: sheep, in " Canada; in • any,-'quantity- - because 4it i paid: better to apply the land, to growing wheat: / Unless, they 'were specially cared, for isheep/would'. die .in ...Canada during the;winter; with ' any: amount of feed under' their; feet :beneath / 'the show.;. .The figure he' had mentioned, of 600 a month, was , nO". criterion; of , what the market, -would take'.' "'What lie; had. endeavoured to indicate was that a, new market awaitcd attention in Canada..

■ The Thing to Do. -./ "It seems to me\" remarked Mr. M'Lel--lari, "that what we have to do is to send trade / commissioners to Canada." They.: ■had; come to the/conclusion, :he went 'on :to.Temark;that'..itf.was; time' .Grpat Bri-.J .tain should bo able to feed '■ herselfi .Ho ■was. quite- sure the time had not yet arrived When they rieed seek fresh markets, but it .-.would arrive: Personally,: it -had been news to hiin. that Canada; could not' -.supply herself with, mutton.:: Although the time' hadi not arrived .when they/ could' load.the Montreal steamers with mutton, ! yet. by", and by they., should be able ..to send something back by tlmso boats. / ■ ; /It, must, .be apparent, to everybody, said •Mr.''J. G.'Harknoss,'that'.'in the very near future the' Empire would have to be'self-' supporting "if its'position : in the'/ world ■was to ba maintained/.'-Eeferriiig to the' Chambers''of Commerce 1 . Congress which -he last year- at Sydney, ; Mr. Harkriess said he had noted that whilst ;mcri who camo from the Old Country were, representatives ■ of 1 their various trades, none was', more thoroughly conversant with the questions which / they had ,/to . discuss than the' representatives from Canada. As to' trade from this country, lie belioved a better opportunity' existed. on/the. Western than on the Eastern Coast of Canada. We could land our commodities' on the West Coast cheaper than, they could.be. sent "from 'the East •by rail.' If they, wero goirig/to work up a trade with Canada;./the'" speaker opined that they .should have-tradp commissioners in, Canada to adyocate .the claims of this Dominion; as Mr. Beddoe and others advocated, tho claims .'of/""their.' various countries. . : !

Mr; Tewsley having, on behalf of ' tho council, thanked Mr. Beddoe for his' address,' tlie gathering, dispersed.