CONSULAR AGENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9018, 3 April 1888, Page 3

CONSULAR AGENTS.

." .. ' TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —A letter from Mr. G. W. Russell, of Cambridge, appeared in your issue of Wednesday, suggesting, as a remedy for the depressed state of the colony,, and a means of assisting the development of our , resources, that , the Government should , appoint Consular Agents at Rio, Calcutta, San Francisco, Yeddo, and other centres abroad, and that these officers should report. specially on the suitability of the countries they are in as markets for our colonial products, dnd lor th%exchange of trade generally. lam surprised that such a, well-informed journalist as Mr. Russell should have allowed himself to fall into the • absurd error of imagining that a small dependency of a Great Power can appoint officers to the corps diplomatique. A colony has no power to make such appointments as suggested; if it 'did so, the officers could not .be accredited to, and would not be recognised by, any foreign State. Moreover, Mr. Russell does not seem aware that Great Britain maintains her own consuls, viceconsuls, and agents at every maritime port in the world, other than her own possessions. These educated and highly trained public servants forward very full reports annually to the Board of Trade on the condition of the trade and commerce of the countries to which they are attached. Their reports are found in the Board of Trade returns presented to the Imperial Parliament, and can be procured from the proper authorities. Much of the information contained in them is embodied in the Statesman's Year Book and other statistical annuals published in England. The principle underlying Mr. Russell's idea is, however, a perfectly right one. What this colony should do is what I have, as a Writer, frequently advocated, and which is, probably, what Mr. Russell himself means, namely, that we should follow the spirited example set by the Canadian Dominion some years ago, and tend Special Commissioners to visit the South American States, as well as other countries , with whom we have any direct communication, to open up the way for us to enter into commercial relations with them in the spirit of friendly reciprocity. As we enjoy perfect freedom of action in framing our own tariffs, so can we adjust them for the purpose of extending our commerce and securing an interchange of trade to the mutual advantage of the colony and any of those countries that may be desirous, or willing, to enter into commercial alliances with us. There is no disputing the fact that the destiny of New Zealand is to become a maritime nation, with great manufactures of her own. But, to lead up to that destiny, she Must endeavour to secure unlimited outside markets as near to he# own coasts as possible. The vast populations of mixed races, and the great cities, of South America, for example, offer her ; such markets, and to pave the way towards entering South America advantageously with our commodities, the Govern ment of New Zealand should first approao'n the various government* in the great continent with friendly offers of commercial reciprocity.— am, etc; H.C. ;< Hamilton, March '29.