FRENCH CRUISER'S VISIT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18296, 12 January 1923, Page 7

FRENCH CRUISER'S VISIT.

DEPARTURE FROM SYDNEY. FLAGSHIP OF THE MISSION. FAREWELL TO AUSTRALIA. By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright. (Received 10.5 p.m.) A. and N.Z. :}'' SYDNEY.' Jan. 11. The two French cruisers, Jules Miehelet and Victor . Hugo, concluded their visit to Sydney. The flagship, Jules Michelet, sailed during the afternoon for New Zealand, and Noumea, and tho Victor Hugo for the Eastern States, en. route to Japanese waters, where the two ships will meet again. Admiral Gilly, in a farewell message, expresses gratification at the friendship shown to France and Frenchmen by Australians. ; ' ■ THE COMMERCIAL ASPECT. WAIKATO DAIRY INDUSTRY. INSPECTION TO BE MADE. [bv. •rto.EGKA.PH..—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] i WELLINGTON. Thursday. Arrangements are being made by the Department of Industries and Commerce for the reception, as far as the commercial aspect is concerned, of the French mission which is to visit New Zealand next week in the cruiser Jules Michelet. In speaking of the, arrangements .made for the visit of the mission, the Hon. E. P. Lee, Minister for Industries and Commerce, 'stated yesterday that he had been officially informed that the Jules Michelet, with the Victor Hugo (the latter vessel would not now, however, visit New Zealand), had been despatched with the mission partially in the interests of the overseas commerce of .■Trance. The Jules Michelet was equipped to provide an exhibition of products of French industries, and to demonstrate the work of post-war reconstruction in that country, and especially to illustrate the establishment of new industries. t „ "It has been made clear," said Mr. Lee, "that although to a certain J extent the mission is of a commercial nature, the cruiser is by no means to be considered a trade ship." The visit of tho mission will be made as interesting and as educative as possible. . Instructions to this effect have been given to the Department of j Industries and Commerce, and Mr. J. W. Collins, the secretary of the department, has been in co-operation with the Consul-: General of France at Auckland for the organisation of meetings of : traders to be addressed by the mission, and to afford the missioners facilities for seeing some of the' leading industries in the Auckland province. v 1 ijj Y "The mission, which will remain about 10 days in Auckland, will probably visit the Waikato in order to see the progress made in the dairying industry, and will subsequently come to Wellington, arriving here about January 25. While in Welington the members of. the mission will be largely engaged with the heads of Government departments, but meetings with representative business men . and manufacturers are also being organyjed, and the programme to be adopted here will be guided by the experience gained in Auckland. As the itinerary of the Jules Michelet does not, unfortunately, include, a visit to the ports of Lyttelton and Port Chalmers, steps are being taken by my department to invite a delegation of leading business men from Christchurch and Dunedin to visit Wellington to meet the mission during its stay at this port. Mr. Lee added that the J; assurance, received from chambers of commerce and manufacturers' associations in New Zealand showed that these bodies were taking much interest in the visit of -the French mission, and that they intended giving the members of the .mission a cordial welcome.. At the same time, they intended to make known to them the products of New Zealand, and to receive information of .what commodities France had to exchange for New Zealand goods.

BAY OF PLENTY INTERESTED. FOSTERING TRADE WITH FRANCE. [BY TELEGRAPH?.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] TATJRANGA. Thursday." The Bay of . Plenty /■'; Development League is in communication with the Minister for' Internal Affairs regarding representations to the French mission about to visit New Zealand as to the; possibility of developing 'trade between the two countries. .: