NEW ZEALAND AND LIVERPOOL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13898, 9 May 1907, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND AND LIVERPOOL.

SPEECH BY THE HON. W. PEMBER BEEVES. tFnost Ora Own Corbkspondeht.) LONDON, March 22. On Friday last tho Hon. \V. Pomber P.oovcs formally reopened the Oolonia. 1 Products Exhibition, which is being held at Liverpool. Among three present in a large assemblage wore: Mr A. 11. Read, a member of the Mersey Dock Board, who presided, and Jlr H. C. Cameron and Mr A. Douglass. Tn welcoming Mr Reeves, the Chairman pointed out that this was the third occasion on which the High Commissioner had travelled specially from Loudon to Liverpool to open the successive Colonial Exhibitions.— (" Hear, hear.") He could only afford to spend about two hours in Liverpool, and the city must be grateful to him for giving so much of his valuable lime as the double journey required. Tlie colony which Jlr Reeves represented (New Zealand) occupied the largest space in. litis exhibition.—("Hoar, hear.") Tho main object of the exhibition was to bring tho colonies and the Mother Country into closer contact, and he .thought it filled that hall wry well, as would be seen by anyone who looked around the hall to seo what varied and useful articles tho colonics were producing.—(Applause.) The High Commissioner, who was cordially received, in declaring the exhibition reopened, said it who always a great pleasura to him to come to Liverpool, and to feel that in so large and attractive a city lie would be able to' speak of New Zealand to a fresh audience. It was not because ho wanted to hurry away from Liverpool that lie was returning to London the same evening, but. because of his share in tho preparations for. tho visit of tho colonial Premiers to London. Ho regarded the exhibition as an important practical step in the direction of trado development within tho Empire, a .subject to wlu'ch he hoped the ' gathering of colonial Premiers would find time to give some formal or informal attention. When ho said that he did not mean to imply that there was only one policy by which Imperial trade could bo increased and fostered. There were many wave, and if any ono of thepe did not commend itself to "tho people of this country, the alternatives were numerous. In Liverpool he could not do amiss to 6peak of the encouragement, of shipping business as a means of developing Imperial trade.— ("Hear, hear.") Shipping and shin freights and methods were occupying a great deal of public consideration at present. There were somo people who thought certain shipping methods required restriction, while others held that certain shipping cnterprijes required encouragement. As far as Imperial trado was concerned, those who thought that shipping might receive some wise encouragement, in certain directions were not far wrong. ("Hear, hear.") New Zealand was trying its best to foster more direct communicatio7i between its own pork and tho western ports of England, among which Liverpool, of course, stood first. Ho trusted that these efforts on tho part of New Zealand had met tho approval of tho shipping magnates of Liverpool and would be rcciptocatcd.-(" Hear, hear.") New Zealand was not ,one of the/largest of tho colonies, hut. they would not expect him to agree that it, was ono of the smallest,.—(Laughter.) Even a small colony might contain a very progressive community—(" Hear, hoar")—and this was tho case with New Zca!and.-(Applause.) Only about; seven years ago, in addressing the Leeds Chamber of Commerce, he happened to say that he expected tho next annual trade returns of New Zealand would show a total of £20,000,000 —a remark which struck the business men of Yorkshire as representing a solid amount of business.—(" Hear, hear.") Since then, however, New Zealand's trade had expanded to between £33,000,000 and £34.000.000 per annum.—(Applause.) This total might seem small to Englishmen accustomed to speak of trado in hundreds of millions, but when ho reminded the audience that, the population of New Zealand was below a million, the yearly volume of trado worked out at about £35 per head for cverv man, woman, and child in the colony, and it. would be agreed that tho figure was very creditable indeed.— (Applause.) The figure was specially remarkable, because New Zealand had scarcely anv transit trade; hence tho total of £33,000,000 represented articles imported for internal consumption, or exported bceauso produced in the colonyfor sale to other countries. No oilier civilised community could show such a high proportionate figure— ("Hear, hear.") Proceeding, he complimented the organisers of the exhibition upon the pluck which had enabled them to attain such successful results year after year. Other cities wore contented with n Colonial Exhibition oneo every 10 or 20 yeors, and it was, therefore, no small feat for Liverpool to support her ov.-u exhibition year after year, 110 was particularly glad to ceo, in spite of the almost, overwhelming earthquake disaster at Kingston, that Jamaica was a'/ain represented so well.—(Applause.) Then, those remarkable cases containing Ihe colonial presents to the Prince and Princess of Wales was one of particular interest to a loyal colonist, and, ho trusted, was likewise interesting to his audience.— ("Hoar, hear." Spooking as a Now Zealander, he was jdad to see that the ncie;hbouring colony of Western Australia had a. geed court.—(Applause.) Finally, he said he wished to give a section of his limited lime to witness the cinematograph display of colonial and Indian 6concs.—(Loud applause.) Votes of (hanks followed.