BRITISH OVERSEAS TRADE

Evening Star, Issue 18628, 8 May 1924, Page 5

BRITISH OVERSEAS TRADE

MR J. A. P. EDGECOMBE’S ADDRESS THE IMMIGRATION SYSTEM. An address of interest to the business community was given by Mr J. A. P• Edgecombe, delegate from the British Overseas Trade Department (Board of Trade), to members of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce in the New Zealand Express Company’s hoard room yesterday afternoon. Mr R. Elmslie, British Trade Commissioner, and Mr J. W. Collins, of the Department of Commerce- and Industries, who are accompanying Mr Edgecombe on his tour through Now Zealand, were also present. Dir F. M. bhontt, vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce, occupied the chair. Ho mentioned that Mr Edgecombe was travelling on H.M.S. Hood, and _ was the economical adviser to the Admiralty in connection with the world cruise of the British Special Service Squadron. He was visiting the British dominions with a view to reporting on the potentialities of trade in the Empire, particularly with regard to 'trade and immigration. It would be his duty to report to the Board of Trade at Home. Dir Edgecombe proposed to leave the next day on a tour through Central Otago, and would return north via Palmerston and Camara. They were pleased to meet. Dir Edgecombe, because they felt it was through such visits that people in the Old Country were enabled to obtain a knowledge of the conditions prevailing in the dominion. Dir Edgecombe said he was present with the object of obtaining as far as possible some understanding of the problems that were facing them in New Zealand and the other dominions. At Home it was difficult to got a proper understanding of what wag going on in other parts of the far-flung Empire. Still, they had their own officials overseas. On a cruise of this sort it was impossible to see all that one would like to see. There was some magnificent scenery in New Zealand, but nn fortunately he would not be able to _ sec a great deal of that. He had visited Wellington and Christchurch, and he was glad to say he had now come to the first city of New Zealand. He had been greatlv impressed with the wonderful scenery he had seen when approaching Dunedin the previous day. The scenery he had viewed for some twenty miles entering the city wa.s tho finest ho bad yet seen in New Zealand. Their ancestors had been wise when they had settled down in this part A the world. He had also seen some of their buildings. The University was ■a magnificent building. He would say. moreover, that the buildings in Dunedin were very fine.

One nf’tbe main objects of his visit was, he continued, to get atmosphere, and the only way to get atmosphere was by mooting tho loading people in all the branches of enterprise and industry. Obtaining atmosphere was perhaps more important than seeing factories, because these could be seen elsewhere. They had travelled something like 30,000 miles on this cruise, and it was amazing that right at the ether end of the world there was a dominion with a people perhaps more English than England herself. In using the word “ English ’’ he was, of course, referring to the whole of the United Kingdom. Out here they bad the some religions, the same honesty in commercial dealings, the same ideas ( of justice, and, if he might say so, they ’knew how to manage their affairs as well as the level-headed people at Home. Tho progress of the dominion in its life of eighty years was perfectly astounding. If that progress continued, the dominion would have an enormous future. There was, of course, opportunity for development arid increased population. Their population, even if allowance were made hr those parts of the country which would not carry many people, could be much larger. Fortunately their country was almost entirely Anglo-Saxon, and they did not have" any black problem or a danger of a black problem. In order to make 'the best of their countrv they would agree that further immigration was necessary, provided the immigrants were of the right stamp, and provided they could be readily absorbed into the. communitv. The larger their population, tho smaller would he the burden of their overhead charges m the way of national taxation, and they would be able to consume a larger quantity of their own products, industrial, agricultural, and pastoral. The speaker said that he understood that 90 per cent, of the whole wealth of the dominion was obtained from (ho cow and the sheep, and it was that aspect of their trade that kept the tie so close with tho Old Land. England imported some 75 per rent, of all Die dominion's exports, and the dominion imported in return from Britain rather over 50 per cent, of all the imports coming here. He honed these ties would) continue. Ho behoved that, they would, because he had found out here, more than in anv other country, a strong feeling of kinship and a general kindly outlook favorable to the Mother Hand. They had their difficulties; and so did the Old ■Country. Perhaps the Old Country’s difficulties were the greater, because industpi all v the Old “ Country was overdeveloped. She had not given sufficient attention to the development of her soil. The general trend of the world, however, was gradually working towards the normal.

Mr Edgecombe then referred to the trade conditions immediately following the war, how the trade boom had broken, and how it had been a struggle to save themselves from the precipice, over which the whole world nearly fell. A good deal had now, however, been done to settle the world politically and even financially. The speaker touched on the treaty with Japan regarding the Pacific agreement, the funding agreement between America and England, the Washington Conference, and the arrangement with Turkey. It remained now only to settle with Russia and Germany. One could not help sympathising with France, but she must make up her mind whether s)ie was going to ex-

tract money from Germany or keep her crushed, so that she could not ©street the money. At the present time it looked _as if there was a possibility of some settlement with Germany, and when that came it seemed as if they would he back on the road to normal conditions. Then every country in the world could hope for more prosperous trade conditions than they had enjoyed of late.

Mr W. B. Steel, secretary of the Expansion League, when asked to give his opinion on the immigration system, said that he considered the present system of nomination had worked smoothly and effectively. They had to see to it,_ however, that the immigrants did nob arrive in too great numbers, so that the country could not absorb them. They needed the handy man—the man who could adept himself to the conditions pertaining in the dominion. They could absorb men in the metal trades, and also carpenters. Above all, the country wanted the man of tho right stamp and the young man. Mr Edgecombe said that, speaking unofficially, he agreed that the system of nomination was one of the best methods. He referred to what’ was being done under the “group” system of settlement in Western Australia, but he did not know whether this system could he made a success in New Zealand. In Western Australia they had vast Wretches of country to be dealt with. The “groups” were composed of about twenty people, and' they were generally known to each other before they left the Homeland. Mr Colins remarked that any information regarding British workmen who might be required in New Zealand c.ould be obtained from Mr Sandford, the New Zealand officer now r stationed in England. Mr ELmslie pointed out that a scheme of immigration for British boys was now being conducted by certain Taranaki residents.

Mr J. B. Waiters, in moving a vote of thanks to Mr Edgecombe, said that tho visitor’s address bad been most interesting, and they were sorry he bad not had more time at his disposal to explain his subject more fully. Still, he had oiven them some very useful sidelights on things which were of vital interest to 'those residing in the dominion.^ The motion was carried unanimously.