INTERCOLONIAL TRADE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVII, Issue XLVII, 5 March 1912, Page 5

INTERCOLONIAL TRADE.

NEW ZEALAND,. AUSTRALIA, AND f \ CANADA. <•"••■ «.•-■■ " ,

AN OTTAWA .CABLE

("Post" Correspondent.) .*

,LONDON 3 JahMryl9. ,-,\ .The English' papers pay considerable-■ attention to . the. '' following cable;- rhes. r " •sage sent by- Renter's' corresporidwit- Ilftt"« Ottawa, dated 15th January:—'MCorrds- .;' pondence tabled in the 'Dominion of Commons to-day indicates that i _,the> ''- negotiations for r a preferential trade ; . rangement Canada, and New Zealand are,within "~fable distance of accomplishment' "' The-' • correspondence concludes .with a letter from Mr, George Foster, ttie Cariadia.h .. Minister of Trade and Customs, to, tho . Minister of Trade and Customs "in■ Aiistralia on 28th December, pointing the advantages, sentimental and com;-"' mercial, of reciprocal trade cdricessiqifs on a wide basis. Mr Poster that such an arrangement would naLci- ' rally be followed,by the betterment •'of the steamship service; and al'sb sug- '* gests that Australia should make tho_. proposal; or, if desired, Canada'is rea'dy ' to submit a scheme. Mr-Foster adds: . It seems to be too bad tliat \vith-our! ~ great sister Dominion we have, riot been able long since to arrange bur-trade ohi!&: preferential and Ij assure Canada is very desirous, bqtlt bn-sentii mental grounds, and' for reasprb of rhwij-• v tual advantage, that tliia' : anomaly v ; . should be removed as speedily ■ as' pos- . sible." THE POLITICAL ASPECT. \ , ''.: It goes without saying that ;&hile the. ~ Unionist organs, which support ' Imperial preference, warmly/•welcome the announcement, the Liberal-papers are ■'' rather sceptical as to' whether anything will really be accomplished. The "Daily'.' ; News" writes: "What is meant by' thiephrase, 'within measureable;distar»ce,' is. riot easy to determine, "but from, t ;the 1 ;; - matter of Reuter's.. telegram, 'it simply looks as if, the question, reopened once more, as it 'has Ibe'eri .'at' (intervals since 1900, .always witnout'.^re->; suit. But whether, these new .'negbtia-' tioiis prove successful or not,' the diffi-. culties which have for so many 'yWtca'i'harassed this purely sentimental; rapprochement, for tho "irivolvedl iis inconsiderable, shows the absurdity 'ofpie glib talk of our Tariff 'Reformers,'', of suddenly rearranging* the whole [pire on a basis of; proferqntiaT tariff<j. For the past twelve years 6ttawa. 'aridhave been busy with the rnatJter- but -not the slightest .pr^r^s'.'^Vs• .'been made. Both: the -'Commonwealth iattd New Zealand have already 'a'certaibY ipreferential scale fbr,,-goods'/ British possessions other than 'the fUnited. Kingdom. But what' 'idtlis a special and spocific trade arrange|ineht with Canada. '.-■■■,

| . , OTHER POINTS OF'VIEW. / '.' I "-The "Morning Post", hails, ihp /. anIno'rinceriient with enthusiasm, •and/says : j N lft-s regai-ds New Zealand,-, of that country have/'never. [left any doubt that they''-would/warmly ■ welcome reciprocal trading relations;"/' !. v Sir Max Aitken, M.PI, 'declares : "It lis 1 a momentous pr6noinic6men't, 'and. i marks another, step iri the' dh'edtion.'.b'ti Imperial preference: all round. 1 It' is one'' more- endorsement of our policy of'lip?-pei-ial preference fori this country, by thq il£w Canadian Government, .' arid;. YMr Foster, who is in entire sympathy with, the policy advocated by us herev;. .I.'. Ihave no hesitation in; saying ."that Reciprocity between and I Australia, be most beneficial to both.'AVe" are unliivtunafcely outside .'any such adviii-' tageous trade arrangement, but we arc. " not going to remain out very long."'V " • Dr. G. R. Parkin, secretary to/' V2r« Rhodes Scholarship Trust, ' says :—' 'The move seems to be a very ~ natural one;, and in view of the attitude • Hitherto taken, especially by-Canada and New Zealand, it is rather remarkable th.oit something of the ' kind tias liot-'tieVni worked out sooner. BbthVof- these Dominions have expressed .strong opinions in favour of preferential trade. Not .'so much has been heard.about it in /Australia, but I think the proposal'would bo. received favourably' there.' A&oilfc the present state of feelin'g/'iri SkuM Africa I cannot V. It wnl; bo>eiceedingly interesting, to watch th'e effect' produced on English'opinion by '"ari'y : resolute step of this kind /on "ihe' paVfc" of the Dominions. The. hews' sd'Yar eeived does -Wot/seem to me to indicafco that anything very definite has .' ■• ygt been accomplished. • It'/does indicate'& powerful - tendency. Knowing 1 ki I ctii the energy, of Mr. Foster; the 1 Minister of Trade and ComnVcrce, I-'havei no doubt m saying that nnv ideas of 'tins kind which he entertains will be nushed for all they are worth."