TRADE WITH AUSTRALIA

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 150, 22 December 1922, Page 5

TRADE WITH AUSTRALIA

MINISTERIAL .VISIT TO CHRIST- ' CHURCH EXHIBITION. (BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) CHRISTCHURCH, 21st Dec. A visit to the industrial exhibition was "mads by the Hon. W. D. Stewart (Minister of Internal Affairs and Cubtoms) this morning. Speaking to a reporter afterwards, the Minister expressed pleasure at the splendid variety of exhibits. "It appears to nic to_ be splendidly arranged," he said, " and it gives a visitor a bird's-eye view of the magnitude and variety of New Zealand manu- i factures. In going round I was particularly interested to hear from a number of leading manufacturing firms of the new avenue that has been opened up to them in Australia through the reciprocal agreement recently arranged with that country. The representatives of these firms spoke with the utmost enthusiasm of the opportunities which the Australian agreement had afforded them, and of the prospects for an increasing market ml Australia. " Recently .. several New Zealand have called to inform me of their success in Australia, and of the determination to compete in that, market. It is well known, of course, that the New Zealand Customs tariff is on a moderate scale compared with some of the high tariffs in other parts of the world; and New Zealand manufacturers'i have been brought up in a hard school. They, have, however, shown singular enterprise and ingenuity ■in making the best of the situation in which -they have found themselves, and in a period of falling prices their self-reliance and resourcefulness will stand them in good stead.

"■The exhibition reflected the utmost credit ■ on the executive, which undoubtedly owes much of ite success to the energy of its president. I shall be well pleased if the exhibition which is to be held in Dunedin in 1924 is as successful as your' Christchurch one, as I am sure that these exhibitions are of great educational value, anil help materially to promote the welfare and progress of New Zealand . manufacturers." . .