AWAKENED CHINA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 19 February 1913, Page 2

AWAKENED CHINA

TRADE POSSIBILITIES

NEW ZEALAND'S OPPORTUNITY

"China is now a republic, and ! the ipeople are now an independent and hapgier This was the -Tmost impor taiit; obsfiiv|f tipd •? which Mr V'Alexander Hep worth, .of Sa-n, Francisco, • who passed througn, 'Ailfckland . last SaJ.urday, made during ail extended visit to the Eaot. Mr Hep worth is a journalist, and he recently toured China and Japan in. company with a -number ot writers from England :.ahd the Continent. He told a ''Herald" ' representa'tive some interesting facts about the -'ing to the possibility that, if her ipeople ' fwere -enlightened, -'th£ir, nation become an important commercial community of "the ; world.~ <• , ' "The greatest change has come over i China," said Ml* Hepworth. "The men •who are now in -charge the.country s !* affairs are .educated, reasonable, and ; broadminded, and "they, have as their main object the establishment of better ■ with the outside world. The ' leaders' objects are to elevate the people, and. make them command a higher rfegard in_.the white countries, where--1 hitherto they/ have: b^en-^well,' if ; rtoo despised, neglected. _ . . ""One of the most important decisions of the new Chinese Government," continued Mr Hep worth, "is that it intends •to -negotiate for better relations with •' Ausralasia in. the matter of trade. There ;are enormous possibilities for trade- between New Zealand and China, a n( l there is an opportunity which your Government should not fail. to take ad- - vantage of. Wool, for instance, will be ! bought by China "to: ten times the extent that has- been formerly the case, and I have no hesitatipn. in saying that it. would pay some of your big commericial concerns -io send representatives to 1 the principal Chinese Itowne to open up markets for New Zealand .wool. There is no doubt that the prices which will be paid will be very much higher than in any other country. change ni China includes' a change of dress among the people. Everywhere there is eagerness to copy Western ideas, and in clothing especially, the people hunger for the styles 'and customs of the Eng-lish-speaking countries. - "There is nothing to lose-by opening up trade relations with the a\vakened ■China.." concluded..Mr,. Hep worth. ','IJV factj it would ,be ,worth your GovernI ment's while s to.. ' send a. representative there as soon as possible. 'rae demands, of the. huge nation are immense, beyond calculation, .£ol* the wave of .progress of European iifte&s cannot now receive- a, check. A reciprocal trade would "open up for New Zealand a new, rich field for Tieiv agriculfc-ural goods, a field which is inexhaustible and highly profitable." ■ >, , 1