GERMANY'S TRADE WITH THE COLONIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12402, 26 October 1903, Page 6

GERMANY'S TRADE WITH THE COLONIES.

TO THE EDITOR."':; Sir,— the statistics you recently published at,, request of ■; the ': Acting-Imperial German Consul in Auckland, showing exports from Germany to "Australasia \ and imports of colonial- goods into the first-named : eoimtry during the year 1902, it is the evident intention tlia-t Britishers [should; draw the deduction that as Germany ' apparently, buya more from; Australasia.than sue sells'- to it, we' colonists under the British flag should be careful' how wo; offend German; susceptibilities by toying with proposals to give preference "in -trade" to 'our kinsmen, in, Brit-; ain. ' , ; : . '!-'."■' ; ;■',,, :'; ;.'.- ■ .i

An examination of tlio figures given you Iry Mr. Langgutli, shows that while the articles exported ; from Germany were almost without exception manufactured goods, i.e., largely the product of labour, the goods that they imported from the colonies were practically entirely raw material, the products of the soil. ' ■;■ If by. reason.- of the present preferential tariff proposals the bulk of our importations from Germany, say, two and a-quarter millions, were purchased instead from Britain, it would be a benefit to English manufacturers, and to an extent provide extra, work for British workmen; 1 and if because of our preferential tariff the whole of the colonial export to Germany were lost to us, it does not at all ! follow "that- it would _ lessen the value of the raw material (say, six millions) which Germany ;.• imported from us.' If, because of increased purchasing power _in Britain, arising from the colonies having bought a further two and a-quarter millions from them (largely, as I have pointed out, the product of labour), British manufacturers are able to reciprocate 'and purchase more largely of our surplus raw material, the ex-' change must surely prove a, benefit to British trade. But it docs not at all follow that if the Australasian colonics ceased _to ba ; purchasers of two and a-quarter millions of ] German manufactures that Germany would 1 refrain from ■ buying our : raw material cannot do without it'. • ! ; ' ; Of the total imports of Australasian goods into Germany (£6,008,550) nearly £5,000,000 is represented by the items wool and sheepskins That: Germany must remain a purchaser of wool will be held to bo proved, when tho fact is admitted that during tho last 25 years tho flocks of Germany have decreased from 25,000,000 to 10,000,009, while, of course, during that period the population has greatly increased. , . ■ _ British colonists have nothing to fear from an examination of the statistics that the German Consul has placed : before us. ■ Germany must be an importer of our raw products long - after Mr. Chamberlain's _ proposals , have been adopted, a result which, far from disintegrating, as _ the .Campbell-Ban-; nermans predict, will unite the Empire in a spirit of mutual commercial ■ interest ;as strong and perhaps more enduring thin th© spirit of, loyalty which to-day binds together the various scattered parts of the Empire. I am, etc., v .;...' Feasts: Bodle.