HEW ZEALAND AND LIVERPOOL

Evening Post, Volume LXXIII, Issue 118, 20 May 1907, Page 2

HEW ZEALAND AND LIVERPOOL

SPEECH BY THE HON. W. PEMBEB REEVES. (From Oar Own Correspondent.) LONDON, 22nd March. On Friday last the Hon. W. Pembor Reeves formally ie-opened the Colonial Products Exhibition ..■which is being held at Liverpool. Among those present iv a large assemblage were: Mr. A. JL Read, a member of the Mersey Dock Board, wlip presided, and Mr. H. O. Cameron and Mr. A. Dougla&j. In welcoming Mr. Roeves, tho chairman pointed out that this was the third occasion on which the High Commissioner had travelled specially from London to Liverpool to open the successive Colonial Exhibitions. (Hear, liear.) Tho colony which Mr. Reeves represented (New Zealand) occupied the largest spaco in this exhibition. (Hea-r hear.) The main object of tho exhibition^ was to bring the colonies and the Mother Country into closer contact, and he thought it filled that hall very Avoli; as would he seen by anyone who looked around the Irall to sea what varied and useful articles the colonies were producing. (Applaxiss.) The High Commissioner, who was cordially received, in declaring the exhibition reopened, eaid it was always a- great pleasure to him to come to Liverpool, anil to ieel that in so large and attractive a city ho would bo able to speak of New Zealand to a fresh audience. Ho regarded the exhibition as an important pracfcipal etcp in tho direction of trade <J e V e '°P" merit within tho Empire, a subject to wliich ho hoped the gathering of colonial Premiers would find 1 time to give come, formal' or informal 'attention. When ho said that he did not mean to imply that there was only one policy by •■vrhich,* Imperial trade could be increased 'a*id fostered. There were many' ways",- and if airy one of these , did not comuiec4 itself to the people of this country, tlie alternatives wero numerous, tn Liverpool ho could not do amiss to epeak of the encouragement of shipping business as a msans of developing Imperial trade, (Hear, hear.) Shipping and <ship freights and methods were occupying a great deal of public consideration at present. There were reome people who thought certain shipping "meftWds required resferifction, while others held that certain shipping enterprises required encouragement. As far os Imperial trade was concerned, thosa who thought that shipping might receive some" wise encouragement in- certain directions w«e not Jar wrong.. (Hear, hear.) New Zealand was trying ite btat to foster more •direct communication between its own ports and tho western ppTts of England, among which Literpool, of course, stood first. He trusted that these effort* on the part of New Zealand had met the approval of the shipping magnates of Liverpool, and wofuct be reciprocated. (Hear, hear.) New Zealand was not one of tho largest of tho colonies, but they would not expect him to agree that it was one of the smallest(Laughter.) Even a small colony might contain a very progressive coinniunity_ — (heaT, hear) — and this wtis the case with New Zealand. (Applause.) Only about seven years ago, in addressing the Leeds Chamber of Commerce, he happened to say that he expected the next annual trade returns of New Zealand would show a total 'of £20,000,000 sterling, a Temark wliich (struck tho business men of Yorkshire as representing a solid amount of business. (Hear, hear.) Since, tken, noweveT, New Zealand's trade had expanded to. between £33,000,000 and '£34,000,000" sterling per annum. (Applause.) This total might stem small to Englishmen accustomed to spwtk of / trade in .hundreds r of k millions, 'but ,when 'ie reminded tho audience tha*s the population of ftew Zealand was below a million, the ytarly volume of trade worked out at aooufc £35 per head for every man,, woman .amd child- in the colony, and it .would; bo agreed the figure was very creditable* indeed. (Applame.) The figure was specially remarkable, because New Zealand lad scarcely any transit trade; banco tho total of £33,000,000 sterling represented articles imported for internal consumption, or exported because produced in tlie colony for sale to other countries. No other civilised community could show such a high proportionate figure. (Hear, hear.)