TO FOSTER TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1321, 27 December 1911, Page 3

TO FOSTER TRADE.

NEW BRITISH COMMISSIONER, lilt. WIOKHAM INTDHVIEWED. llr. W. 0. Wiekham, the ncwly-np-IMiintiMl lirilMi Trade Commissioner for New Zealand, lias iirrjvnl in Wellington In filler- ii)i hi., duties. Tliu pi>.-,iliiin here was vai'iilcil hy Dip ilphlli of Mr. KollpsInn l»>t Jiiiiiiiiry, ami Mr. Wkkliam, ivliu liiiil pri'vioii-ly acted as Trado Commissioner at Melbourne, and wliu visilid Nee Zealand lsi-l March, was appointed In X™ Zealand immediately aflor liis return to (he Old Country, He has been mi the >!aIV (if tho. JJoanl of Trado four years ;ind a half, and was previously connected for iiljniil five years with the. firm nf Mc-M's. Ciillanders, Arbulhnot, and Co., Ka-t Indian mcrchanls, of Calcutta and Kangoon. The duties of a British Trado Commissioner, as indicated by Mr. Wickhnui in a, conversation with a Dominion representative, are hounded hy definite instructions from the Board of Trade, but within those instructions tho Commissioner has a very wide discretion.. He has to send reports to the board oil any and every matter of concern to British trade, or of actual or prospective interest to British manufacturers and exporters. .Ho has to be prepared to answer questions about the possibilities of tho New Zealand market for all sorts of British goods,-us well as questions from this end concerning the sources from which such goods may lw best obtained. The Commissioners in different parts of the, Empire have been able, as the result of such inquiries, to assist in arranging a number of agencies, but, while exercising every care, they do not assume any responsibility for results that may follow from their recommendations. Whatever Now Zcnlnml wants, Mr. Wiekham hopes to .see that she gets it from England, or to ascertain why not. He will keep his eyes opun; he will look in shop windows; ho will study tho currents of our commerce,' and will report and advise, accordingly. , His term of office.in Now Zealand promises to be made particularly interesting through tho visit of the imperial Trado Commission, which is to start shortly upon a tour of tho Empire with a view to acquiring and syslemalising knowledge that may lead to tho greater development, of inter-imperial commerce. Mr. AVickham does not know when the commission will reach Mew Zealand, but ho anticipates that it will be his duty to supply it with information and otherwise assist it, and he intends to be ready for die task. He will , .remain at headquarters long enough to make himself known in Wellington, and will then spend a few months in travelling to every part of the Dominion and familiarising himself with the trading and economic traditions of the wholu community. Mr. Wiekham remarked that trade in England was now, generally speaking, in a very ilouribliing condition. There were, of course, exceptions. The lace industry at Nottingham, for instance, was in a bad way, owing, it was said, to the vagaries of fashion, and particularly to the hobble shirt, but the hosiery manufactures of the tamo town were, booming. Lancashire had quito recovered from" the troubles of a couple of years ago, and was taking full advantage of the drop'-.iu raw cotton. The outlook generally was hopeful,' ami, given a comparative freedom from labour troubles and good crorw overseas, British trade should continue active and prosperous for some timo'to come.