The Lyttelton Times. TUESDAY, JUDY 16, 1895. TRADE WITH CANADA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIV, Issue 10706, 16 July 1895, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times. TUESDAY, JUDY 16, 1895. TRADE WITH CANADA.

It is rash to dogmatise when dealing in “futures’* and possibilities, and it is especially foolish to prophesy when in total ignorance of one or more determining factors in the case. Into these pitfalls the Sydney Daily Telegraph has stumbled in its comments on ‘the subject of trade between this colony and the Dominion of Canada. The Colonial Treasurer, speaking at Auckland, did not dogmatise, but referred to a reasonable prospect of a large trade being established. Thereupon our Sydney contemporary took up the dual role of dogmatist and prophet, declaring that “ Canada takes very little from the colonies,” and predicting in set terms that New Zealand’s trade with, the Dominion will never reach greater proportions than her interchange with Chili or Peru. These statements ignore certain patent facts and natural conditions, quite apart from the irrelevance of the criticism caused by forgetfulness of the consideration that Mr Ward’s “reasonable prospect” must have jbeen based chiefly on the expectation of the tariff treaty he had negotiated being ratified by the New Zealand and Dominion Parliaments.

The natural conditions favourable to trade between this colony and Canada are those that rest on geographical and climatic differences. It is winter in Worth America when it is summer here, and vice versa, so that there is an opening for an interchange of fruits and other perishable products. We can grow some fruits here which Canada cannot produce, and there are many articles, both raw and manufactured, which we might obtain from Canada in exchange. There is no need to theorise on the subject, for proof is to band in the establishment of a considerable trade betweenWew South Walesand Canada since the inauguration of the Vancouver mail service. It 10 about two years since that service, subsidised by the two Governments most intimately concerned, was started, and during that brief space of time a trade of very respectable dimensions has grown up. Returns up to the end of 1894 show that 9851 cases of fruit had been exported by that line from Wow South Wales, an average of 467 eases on each of the twenty trips made up to that time. The exports for the same period included 5336 bales of wool, 1945 carcases of mutton, 249 bales of hides, 1778 ingots of tin, 376 casks and 3876 cases of meats, 200 bales of kapok, 111 cases of arrowroot, 216 bags of potatoes, 35 bags of onions, 53 cases and 284 barrels of oil, 197 packages of treacle, 56 cases of honey, 200 casks of cement, 84 sacks of bran, besides some six or seven*" hundred other articles in smaller quantities. Among the latter items those cf ten live sheep and fourteen horses are suggestive of a very profitable export trade in'posse. The record we have quoted does not, p^happ,.i)Dapre»B.-oße-|y4tS.l»^^^

it impress by the magnificent possibilities it discloses. All these articles that we have enumerated New Zealand can produce in abundance, and apparently the Canadian market for them is capable of great expansion. Mr John S. Larke, the Special Commissioner sent to Sydney by the Dominion Government to develop trade relations with Australia, stated recently that there was a market in Canada for light merino and finer qualities of wool. Their supply was at present, he said, chiefly derived from the United States and England; but, as the high-class wool was duty free, no reliable statistics in regard to the matter could be obtained. In regard to the fruit trade, before which there were great possibilities, Australians should profit by the example of Californian fruit-growers. At present the market for dead mutton was somewhat restricted because of the reduction in value of live sheep, which come chiefly from Oregon, where they could he bought at one dollar and a quarter. But, he added, the result of this was that the Oregon people were killing off all their ewes, so that with the facilities offered by the CanadianAustraliani steamers, which are now insulated for the carriage of dead meat, there were great possibilities for this trade in the future. There was also a field for trade in skins and tallow. Australian raw sugar, as well as wines, would, Mr Larke thought, be in demand in Canada. Eggs were recently selling in Vancouver at five cents each —a price which ought to leave a sufficient margin of profit to stimulate export from these colonies. The passenger traffic by the Vancouver route has been of rapid and satisfactory growth. On the twenty-two trips each way 1293 passengers were carried, and it is to be expected that this number will be largely increased as the attractions of the route become better known, and reciprocal trading relations are extended. ■; From all the facts adduced it ia clear that the Vancouver steamboat service has come to stay, and that it is destined to play an important part in the development of trading intercourse between widely separated portions of the British Empire. To secure New Zealand’s participation in the trade thus opening up was the aim of Mr Ward in visiting Ottawa, conferring with the Dominion Government and arranging a Customs treaty between Canada and this country. We are not prepared to advocate an addition to the mail subsidies paid by this colony; but the time ia ripe for lopping off the greater part of the subsidy to the San Francisco service, which, whatever its merits for rapid mail communication, hps not realised the expectations of trade development; and if a transfer of the retrenched amount toi the Vancouver service' would secure regular visits of the Huddart-Parker liners to a New Zealand port, we are satisfied that the foundation of a lucrative trade would be laid on the basis of the free interchange of certain products, as provided for in the provisional treaty brought with him by Mr Ward.