A TOUR ABROAD

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6491, 10 April 1908, Page 7

A TOUR ABROAD

tiik an un ration act, “WE LEAD; OTHERS FOLLOW." It has taken a trip to America to extend the views hold by a Now Zealand or as to the benefits to bo derived from tin* operations of tile Industrial Ixmciliution and Arbitration Act; bul no has come bars to Um Dominion convinced that tho muimuro is a good *mo and th.it the Onverumont should do ail in their power to soo that its previsions nro t-ioperly carried oiit without four or favour. Tho gentleman in_ question is Air- G. E. iiumpluibs, oi trio Wellington firm of ■Humphries Dios., who arrived here by tho Tongnfiro yesterday morning after an absence of nearly twelve biouths spent in America, England and fcloutb Africa, Hr Humphries undertook the trip for business reasons, wink the object of pushing the o.aiuis of the patent scaffolding apparatus of winch he is tho inventor, and succeeded in bringing it into satisfae tory prominence in Canada and the Old Country. Soe.it. ing with regard to building operations in America, he said the America ns wore a groat deal ahead of the people in any othe ■ pi oe he had visited in this particular line, especially with regard to the erection of stool structures. .They were also far ahead of Now Zeaiaudoiß in the building of concrete structures. In Now York there was the Singer Oompanv's steel building of forty-two stories high, who' eas in the city of London few ox the buildings were more than four stories, although in the suburbs pormisiion was given to build; up to about ten stones. Things were very had in Ao/onVa when he was there in November in consequence of - the financial crisis, building and all other trades - boirg affected thereby. ' The effect of the panic was also felt considerably in Cnnhda.’

Asked what was the genera! , im. pvession existing amongst the people with whom he came in contact as''to the conditions of the Dominion, Mr Humphries said that thej people of Canada and America generally had a great idea .of New Zealand. “You would hear people get up at all sort* of public meetings, refer to the mensures on our. statute bopk and Urge that they should be brought into operation there., From what t saw it would bo a great mistake for New Zealand to give up her Arbitration Act, ,I . have seen strikes over there, _overy trade going out, and after seemg that I do not want to go back to ’ the old businea here. I reckon the , Government of Now Zealand should uphold the Conciliation end Arbitration Act by all the means in their power, and I might as well state here that I was.net one of the first to-lib in favour of the thing." ' Mr Humphries said he did not hear such a great lot about New Zealand. • in England as in America, but he is of opinion that more peopl* would come to this country and Aus- • ‘-ralia in preference to America if they did not think it was ’so far away. Panada was so much closer end people who contemplated going there did sb ■thinking- that if they were not successful it would not be so fan- to go back ,ac if they came to New Zealand or the Commonwealth. A stop, of ton days was mode in South Africa; Mr Humphries paid a visit to Bloemfontein, where he has a brother in business. There was also a depression in trade in this pari of the world, matters in connection •• with building being far from good It’ appeared to .him that the Boors had all the fat billots and were much Setter off than the Englishmen H« would certainly not advise flnv person to go to South Africa from New Zealand.’

‘T have comb back with the .tma that New Zealand can ‘ hold up hen end of the stick’ with anyof the placed I visited, and, J think, with any part of the world. There is not so much specialising here in the manufactories as there is at Borne and in America, bat apart from that we ean quitc hold our own. What I . would like to see is New Zealand getting her own iron manufactories going, os it would hard a;wonderful effect upon the prosperity of the country.”