CONSULAR SERVICE

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 132, 30 November 1935, Page 11

CONSULAR SERVICE

AMERICAN APPOINTMENT

MR. G. B. LANE ARRIVES

Recently appointed Vice-Consul of j the United States of America in Wellington, Mr. G. B. Lane arrived here j today from Auckland. He was a passenger by the Monterey, which reached Auckland yesterday from Los Angeles. Mr. Lane, who was previously ViceConsul of the United States in Montreal, and earlier in Hong Kong, takes the place of Mr. W. Hoffmann, who was transferred from the American Consulate .in Wellington to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, some months ago. Although he was only in the United States for a period of three weeks before his departure for New Zealand, Mr. Lane said that an improvement in the economic position of the United States was apparent. New trade treaties with foreign countries were being arranged, and there was a more general feeling of confidence amongst the people. This improvement was apparent in Canada also, but this was not surprising owing to the close economic ties between the two countries. As an indication of the swing towards prosperity, Mr. Lane said that large numbers of French Canadians were immigrating from Canada to the eastern States of America, where there was a good demand for them in the textile industries. During the depression years French Canadians who had already settled in the United States found themselves thrown out of employment, and returned to Canada to live with their relatives.. The reopening of the textile industries, however, was gradually bringing the position back to normal again. Montreal, said Mr. Lane, was an important "jumping off" place for people who wished to enter the United States and take up residence there permanently. Restrictions on immigration to the United States were still very strict. Applications were dealt with on their merit, but intending immigrants had to prove to the satisfaction of the authorities that they had a certain amount of money and were not likely to become a charge on the State. In addition to the ordinary immigrants, the authorities in Montreal had to deal with large numbers of visitors crossing the border to and from Canada. Before Prohibition was repealed in the United States a large number of American tourists were attracted to Montreal through the fact that they could obtain liquor there. This particular class of tourist trade had diminished somewhat since the abolition of Prohibition, but a curious position had .arisen in connection with bootlegging. ' When Prohibition was in force there was a large amount of rum-running from Canada to the United States, but today the position had been reversed. The high duty on liquor in Canada had induced bootleggers to smuggle liquor from America into Canada. Mr. Lane said that the new Canadian Government had been in office about a month before he left Montreal, and it was too early to say what its effect would be. It was the Government's intention to endeavour to arrange fresh trade treaties with the United States, and it had been reported that 800 items had been put forward: for j consideration. Canada, he said, would endeavour to secure entry into the United States for her foodstuffs, fish, certain dairy products, and lumber. The United States, on the other hand, would seek admission of her manufactured articles into Canada.