PEACEFUL PENETRATION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXII, Issue 15524, 26 January 1911, Page 6

PEACEFUL PENETRATION.

If the announcement that the Swiss Government intends to open the markets of the little republic to imported meat means that frozen beef and mutton are to be admitted at a reasonable duty it is good news indeed for the producers of this country. Switzerland's population is rather less than three millions and a half, and the republic has only three towns larger than Christchiu-ch, but we may be sure that the admission of frozen meat to its markets would speedily create an insistent demand for our products in France, Germany, Austria and Italy. The peoples of these countries, looking across the border and seeing their neighbours buying good meat at half the price they were paying themselves for an inferior articlo, would not be long content to remain under the agrarian domination. Agriculture is still the chief industry of the republic, in spite of its assiduous cultivation of tourists, but considerable quantities of meat and cereals are imported every year, and doubtless these quantities would be largely increased if facilities were given to colonial shippers. The announcement that this is to be done has been addrossed to the High Commissioner for the Commonwealth, but we need not assume that any special preference will be extended to Australian producers. Probably tho Swiss Government knows of Now Zealand only as a rival resort for tourists, but it would not discriminate against the dominion on that account. The n&w markets will be open to the whole world, and it behoves our own Government to co-operate with tho producers in seeing that New Zealand moat is offered to tho Swiss consumers in the most attractive form. Here is an opportunity for a bold ndvertisement which might have a far-reaching effect upon the trade of the country.