FAITH IN THE FUTURE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21129, 11 March 1932, Page 10

FAITH IN THE FUTURE.

GOOD SIGNS IN BRITAIN. COMMERCIAL RECIPROCITY. LORD BLEDISLOE'S ADVICE. [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, Thursday. A hopeful note for the future of New Zealand and the Empire was sounded by the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe, when opening the annual conference of the United Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen's Association to-day. 110 stressed the value of the organisation in maintaining the commercial morality which had always been an outstanding and recognised characteristic of British trade. "What awaits the Empire and New Zealand in this momentous year, 1932?" Lord Bledisloe asked. He continued, "the question at present, is unanswerable, hut at least the portents are favourable. The sudden and vigorous industrial awakening of Great Britain—• as worthy to-day of tho prefix 'great' as ever in her proud history—tho rapid shrinkage of tho great army of unemployed and the world-wide confidence displayed in her inherent financial strength by the recent phenomenal rise of sterling 011 the world's currency exchange markets betoken a swiftly returning purchasing power on tho part of New Zealand's best customer which is bound to reflect itself in an improved demand at remunerative prices for somo at least of the Dominion's primary products. "This demand srrms likely to be progressively augmented if at the forthcoming Empire Economic Conference at Ottawa, tho genuine yearning which Britain has to confer material economic benefits upon this much-loved Dominion can find full practical expression as a result of readiness 011 the part of New Zealand to afford reciprocal preference to some of her chief factory products which are now largely imported from countries outside tho British Commonwealth of Nations. Each Empire unitwill, I feel sure, in the meantime generate as far as possible an internal atmosphere favourable to mutual confidence and to the achievement of a fair balance uf commercial reciprocity." Lord Bledisloe added: "Let 11s all strive in our respective spheres by co-opera-tive effort, by wide vision and with minds fully informed 011 world problems, to put all danger behind us at the earliest possible moment, so that we may seize every opportunity for promoting national progress and economic rehabilitation which will assuredly in due linie present itself —an opportunity of which Mho sweet uses of adversity' will have sharpened our wits, strengthened our arm and tightened our moral fibre to avail ourselves with confidence and success."-