TRADE WITH RUSSIA

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3090, 22 May 1917, Page 4

TRADE WITH RUSSIA

AN ENVOY TO NEW ZEALAND. There is already in existence in Australia an organisation known as the Russian-Australian Bureau'of Commerce and Information, and shortly an effort is to be made to establish a branch organisation in New Zealand. The objects of the Bureau are to promote reciprocal trade relations between Australasia and Russia.

A letter was before the Wellington Central Chamber of Commerce yesterday from Mr. L. A. Edwards, a member of the Chamber now in Australia. Mr. Edwards -wrote that Dr. Klatchko, resident representative of tho Bureau in Petroprad, would shortly visit New Zealand to establish the New Zealand branch. To that end lie proposed to address meetings of Chambers of Commerce, and Mr. Edvrar.ds had beon asked to make the New Zealand arrangements. He asked the Chamber to communicate with other Chambers in order that Dr. Klatchko might 'have Hie opportunity of addressine as large meetings ns possible. Mr. W. Smith moved that the letter be received merely, and this motion -was seconded.

One or two members ■ remarked that it would be scarcely, fair to Jfr. Edwards to treat the communication in this -way, but nobody made any other proposal.

llr. Leigh Hunt, who was in the chnir, urged the meeting not to take this course. "I don't know," he said, "whether members have in mind the state of things in Bussia. (Voices: Hear, hear.) I don't think we should sit. in judgment on what is happening in Russia." Ho said that a very great change was being made in tho government o< Russia, and the change was apparently accompanied with some disturbance. The pendulum, he said, had swung one way very quickly, hut it might just as quickly swing in the opposite direction. It might npnear now that Russia was not likely to be ablo to help us much in the uresent struggle, but this was not yet by any means certain, and we should wait to see the course of events in the next month or so. Tt was decided in the end that the Chamber ret into touch with Hie Russwn Consul, who.' it was suggested, was taSing some action in the matter, and that if he was not doing anything in arranging for the visit of Dr. Klatchko, the matter be referred to the Associated Chambers of Commerce.