EMPIRE TRADE COMMISSION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1589, 5 November 1912, Page 3

EMPIRE TRADE COMMISSION.

CHAMBER OP COMMERCE STATEMENT. - At yesterday's meeting of the council of the Chamber of Commerce, the following statement was read and finally approved, as one- to bo submitted to the Trado of Empire Royal Commission when it sits in Wellington:— "New Zealand is primarily a producing country, and' the principal market for its products is Great Britain, and with a view to increasing the productive power of the Dominion, and affording better facilities for marketing its products and correspondingly increasing its imports—the bulk of which are manufactured in Great Britain—the Wellington Chamber of Commerce suggests thefollowing matters for consideration:— "The encouragement -of immigrants from Great Britain who will become prOr ducors, particularly furthering' any scheme having in view the immigration Of young people.: The immigrant most desired is the farmer and farm labourer,' who will add to the agricultural population, and the miner, coal-miner, and the worker in the primary industries, "That as at present there is a great shortage of expert labour in factories and industries of all descriptions, it be pointed out that' hero is an opening for this class of worker in New Zealand. "With a view to encouraging immigration, that the greatest care should be taken to see_: (1) That likely immigrants in Great Britain are supplied with accurate information, and (2) that' every facility and assistance is afforded to immigrants on the voyage out and. on arrival in. New Zealand. "Tho subdivision of largo areas in New Ze-aland, and, by closor settlement, and scientific methods largely increasing the productive capacity of tho land. "That, with a view to facilitating and extending the present trade and transit relations between Great Britain and New Zealand, a remedy bo sought for the existing anomaly whereby file rates of freight on merchandise carried in British ships_ from foreign countries are lower than freight, rates oil the same classes of goods by tho same ships, from British ports. "That the present harsh, and unreasonable stipulations in most bills of lading, whereby .shipowners endeavour to _contract themselves out of all liability, should bo so modified as to give shippers and consignees just and editable proJseHwb'i