BRITISH REPRESENTATION IN PARIS.

Manawatu Times, Volume LXV, Issue 1879, 26 March 1913, Page 7

BRITISH REPRESENTATION IN PARIS.

At the annual meeting of the British Chamber of Commerce, held on February 6, its president, Mr O. E. Bodington, made the following reference to the importance of the representation of the British dominions, in France: "We have realis d the fact that we are a British Chamber of Commerce in the widest sense of the word—that is to say, in the sense of representing actually or potentially the commercial interests of all part of the Empire in the international relations with France, and the most superficial acquaintance with the work of our Board suffices to demonstrate how rapidly these interests are growing. Let me remind you, however, for the reminder is a useful one, that there are already other

links between our great dominions and France besides that of commercial interests. The link of race between Canada and France is sufficiently obvious. In South Africa the name of General Joubert suffices to recall to us that there exists there an admixture of French blood in the descendant of the old Huguenot families. The success of our Canadian section is to-day a matter of common knowledge. Ido not think I am violating any State secret in saying the negotiations of the most promising kind are at present on foot, with a view to the organising of a section for the representation of the Australian Commouwt aith, with the active and most sympathetic co-operation of our good friend Sir George Reid. We shall iook forward in due time to doing the same for South Africa and other colonies. All the things, I feel sure, will be productive in the near future of the most beneficient results upon international exchanges between the dominions and France."