Interview

Hastings Standard, Volume VIII, Issue 4150, 9 February 1904, Page 3

Interview

A representative of this (paper, waited on Mr W. Smith, J„P., 0 f Nottingham,. England, who is at present, on a private visit to New Zealand, wi-tm a view of learning his opinions oi the colonjr in general. Mr Smith, who is a flour miller in 'a large way, in England, is visiting his sons in the Gisborne district, and has been in the colony since t-lie middle of last O'ctol.'cr. He was astonished to find i hat so much had been done, in halt a century towards improving, cultivating and opening up the country. | Some visitors made invid'ious comparisons between a young colony) and , old settled countries, but this was unfair, and, as he said, he was great ly impressed with' the progress made by New Zealand. The climate, as far as he experienced it in the Nort h Island was superb, and what strtick him most was that a given a'mount of work did not involve the same physical fatigue in this country as in England, which he attributed to the climatic conditions existing here. The land in Poverty Bay and Hawke's' Bay Was wonderfully fertile. He had experience of farming in Nottingham and it was comparatively easyj to get, a crop out of the land in " these districts compared with England. Regarding the fiscal question, Mr Smith is a freetrader, and although! he is opposed to Mr Chamberlain's proposals, he thinks they should l>e considered in a calm judicial spirit, uninfluenced by prejudice. The people of America and the colonies were bad ly informed regarding the milling industry of England. An impression seemed to be about that American competition had crippled this branch of Brie sh enterprise, but he assured those who thought so that they were laboring under a misapprehension of the actual facts. lie instanced the cases of several millers of his own acquaintance who had amassed huge fortunes, amounting as high as threequarters of a million in this trade, and, although his own business was in tlte Midlands, he had always been able, not only to hold his own, but to secure a comfortable competence tor himself and his family. lie said this to show that the milling trade was not in the condition imagined by colonists, but at. the same time lie considered Mr Chamberlain's proposals must affect the flour milling trade rather favorably. He said " r a tlier" because the Government could not put on ia. sufficient differential tariff to benefit the corn miller very much.

Hiis own opinion was that (He industries of England could hold their own against the world, if the English workmen were sober and industrious. But thus they were not. Mr A. B. Markham said " the English workmen lost more time th'rough drink than any otner workman in ithe world " The English workman was a great deal better oS than colonials thought, and the difficulty was not in getting business, hut in gettimg it done when it 'had been secured. He did not think that Mr Chamberlain would appeal to the country on the fiscal reform question for some time, because the Nonconformists of England were hilterly opposed to the Gio\ernment's education policy, and would feel it their duty to onposo Government candidates at « general election, irrespective altogether of the fi'-'. al proposals, and for I his reason, amongst others, an nppeal to t«he el'-etors on Mr Cijam'Herlam's far iffs at this juncture would not bring forlh Ihe voice of the people () n Ihe subject. He thought Mr Chamberlain would wait to get rid of the various' entanglements surrounding his Government before he appeals to the