THE PRIME MINISTER

Evening Star, Issue 14186, 11 October 1909, Page 2

THE PRIME MINISTER

CO-PARTNERS IN THE EMPIRE. THE PIN AN CIAITcLODD LIFTING,

[Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, October 11. r The Prime Minister was entertained at a_ dinner cm Saturday evening by leading citizens, a large and representative gathering giving him a most enthusiastic recepticyi. In. the course of a brief speech Srr Joseph Ward said the wisdom of New Zealand’s course regarding naval defence was strengthened by the cabled news of the cost of the Navy. Canada was going to build. New Zealand would have been mad to embark on an enterprise of this kind, as, apart from the cost, there was the greater issue; the desirableness of standing by one consolidated Navy. The net result of the Conference was that, what had been dependencies were no longer such ; they were co-partners in the Empire. Sir Joseph Ward also referred, to the signs that the financial conditions were on the upward grade. There had been a trying time for the past twelve months, but the clouds were now lilting.

CANADIAN TRADE. AN IMPORTANT PROPOSAL. [Special to the Star.] WELLINGTON, Octebca-11. The desirability of developing trade with. Canada by providing direct steam connection between New Zealand and its sister Dominion was urged by the Prime Minister, speaking on Saturday night at the banquet tendered by the citizens of Wellington. For several year's there has been a standing offer of a fairly substantial subsidy for a line of steamers providing accommodation for frozen meat and butter, and a small subsidy was until last year paid to tho Alley Line of Canadian steamers, which traded to New Zealand, and occiunonally' brought consignments of Oregon pi no. With the discontinuance of the subsidy the steamers were withdrawn from the trade, but the Prime Minister is impressed with tho need for- providing further facilities of an improved character. Sir Joseph stated that when ho passed through America and Canada on his way from England ho found that there was a great desire to trade with New Zealand. If it could have been possible to have deflected a portion of the frozen meat from the congested markets of the Old Country just now it would have greatly eased * the position. Tho more the Dominions exports were spread the better it would be for this country. He found that in Canada particularly business men wore anxious to trade with New Zealand, but tho difficulty was that there was no direct means of transport between the two countries. All the spare in steamers going from Australia to Vancouver was taken up by people who wore getting the full benefit of the trade. No country was better circumstanced than New Zealand to provide superior frozen meat and dairy produce, and they ought to try to get some means of communication between the two countries to open up this outside market, and thus relieve tho great central emporium in England, wherein a certain amount of injury was being done by overstocking.