ANXIOUS TO TRADE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 36, 26 January 1932, Page 6

ANXIOUS TO TRADE

CANADA’S FRIENDLY ATTITUDE. VISITING LAWYER’S VIEW. Public sentiment in Canada is strongly inclined toward fully satisfactory trade relations being established between Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, according to Mr Martin Griffin, K.C., of Vancouver, who was a passenger yesterday by the Makura from Sydney. Mr Griffin said that the fact of tho matter was that all three countries had to make sure there was cargo travelling between them, or else they could not keep their shipping companies going. One could not expect the Union Steam Ship Company, with or without the Matson Line, to run such good services unless freight was ottiering. The people of Canada were at present most anxious about the question of trade with Australia and New Zealand, and were in a very responsive frame of mind towards any efforts that might be made for the I establishment of trade on a mutually

profitable basis. In Mr Griffin’s opinion, any questions about duties on imported products could be adjusted. ATTITUDE OF MERCHANTS. Merchants in Canada, judged from merchants in Vancouver, were most anxious to buy anything from “down under,” Mr Griffin continued. New Zealand butter sold wholesale at five cents a pound more than Canadian butter, in open competition at Vancouver. That was a good deal—2Jd a pound wholesale. But it was a competitive matter, and a question of quality. Referring to political affairs in Canada, Mr Griffin said that at the moment they had a National Govern meiit, practically, although not quite, the same as in New Zealand. It was based on the same principles of the restoration of stable finance. That, indeed, was the platform on which it had been elected. Canada was making a tremendous effort to curtail her imports, because she had to find considerable funds in New York which had to be paid in gold. The country had a grave railway problem: the Canadian National’s heavy bonded debt was a very serious thing for Canada, and if that could be adjusted Mr Griffin felt that the country’s greatest economic difficulty would be overcome. The railway earnings had been very bad during the last two years. The position of the Canadian Pacific, however, was strong, and if the Canadian National could be put on a basis of paying its own way, then Canada would have nothing to impede its steady progress. FINE IMPERIAL SENTIMENT. “I think Canada is a most imperial, ist.ic country,” Mr Griffin remarked, “Its nearness to tho United States really, if anything, intensities the mitional sentiment. There’s no question about it. It isn’t that we are unfriendly with the States—-the contrary is of course the case. But the fact that we are so close to another nation much larger and more powerful than we are makes public sentiment in Canada very firm in its affection for the Imperial ideal.” Mr Griffin said he had been very much struck in Australia by the wonderful opportunities for grazing. That was a thing that had specially interested him, because he had had some experience with cattle men in Canada. Australia possessed wonderful facilities for raising cattle as well as sheep, whereas in Canada stock owners had to face the feeding of cattle every winter in February and March. Hay was put by in big stacks in summer- ’ time for use later on.