Here We Are Again!

Feilding Star, 30 May 1907, Page 2

Here We Are Again!

In the old-time pantomimes so popular in our youth, the pantaloon — the butt for the clown's merrymaking — used to signal his entrance to the stage with the greeting, "Here we are .again 1" And every time we hear of the whereabouts of New Zealand's Travelling Trade Commisj sinner, Mr Gow, we are tempted to repeat the sentence, for he is a regular warrior for bobbing up serenely. What his duties consist of, beyond drawing about £1000 a year (including travelling expenses) from the funds of the colony, it would be difficult for an ordinary person to define. Ostensibly, his object has been to promote the trade of the colony and to establish outside markets — but never a bit of trade or an out.side market has yet resulted from Mr Gow's tw ©or three years' travel abroad. He went to South Africa and boomed the colony some, with the result that the one line of cargo steamers from here to that country was taken off the service; he. travelled to the east to persuade the simple China man and the wily Jap to patronise our Exhibition and accept some of New Zealand's imports — but tho Chow said "No savee!" And the Jap wanted to know why we charged CIOO a head for the privilege of landing in New Zealand? Then, we understand Mr Gow investigated the butter industry in hiberia. but be yond finding it greasy, we are not a ware that he expressed any expert (pinion ;ibout it. From that rolii region he skipped across to' Germany, found the. cheese too strong, and in- j vaded France, but could not swallow the frogs. Then he disappeared, only to bob up serenely in Canada, from whence we hear the usual ga^ that he is hopeful about his mission. Hopeful ! Goodness gracious ! if he is not hopeful, we don't know who would be, for everybody else has lost hope in Mr Gow and his mission ages ago. ' But no, we are mistaken ; there is one ray of comfort. As tho result of Mr Gow's visit to Can ad n a Canadian family has come to New Zealand, and started business with Canadian goods! Prodigious! Who will now dare to say the colony is not reaping the benefit of maintaining a full-blown Travelling Trade Commissioner.