BETTER RELATIONS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19066, 11 January 1924, Page 2

BETTER RELATIONS.

AMERICA AND NEW ZEALAND. NEW CONSUL-GENERAL’S TRIBUTE. Assuming the office of Consul-general for the United Slates with u high opinion of the productive capacity of New Zealand, Mr E. N. Guiisaulus prophesies a new era of reconstructed commercial prosperity, shared by either country, in maintaining their existing friendly relations while exchanging commodities that are more or less iioiM ompoiitive and that will not m any material sense disturb the preferential treaties and arrangements in force between Great Britain and Now Zealand. ‘This is the fourth British outpost in which I have had the honour of serving, and, while stationed in South Africa, Canada, and (ho Straits Settlements, I have learned something of New Zealand, its resources, scenic wonders, and trade potentialities,” said Mr Gunsaulus, when interviewed by a Dominion reporter. “It has been a, matter of wonder to me, , as no doubt it is to observant people living j in tho older countries of the world, that | New Zealand has made such remarkable | development with its primary products. \ Hitherto, one’s knowledge of the dominion j lias boon r"? victr-J to cdie-al r’-.t'stics and ; to genera! information furnished us by trade reviews furnished by the United Slates | Bureau of Commerce end other official sources. As early as 1 can conveniently ' manage, 1 hope to see at first-hand the sources of your (Wolopm; nt. not only in 1 the main centres of ; m" stHai and commer- 1 cial activity, but ; ri the dairying, agricul- : tural, and pastoral districts, from which so ( much of the national wealth has been , drawn. In butter and cheese alone, tho ; value of Ihe dominion’s export trade has ‘ increased twelvefold in the past 18 years. FRIENDLY FEELINGS MUTUAL. ; “I am euite sure tho people of New 1 Zealand a-o already aware that the very | friendly relations existing between Great i Britain and the United States are shared ; equally between America and New Zealand, i I believe ihal •-••i(boi;f. de(rimen( of either . country, the exchange of products between i them can ho materially increased. At pro- i sent the trans-Paoific countries, ns well as I the Southern Pacific, claim about onc-fifth [ of America’s seaborne trade, and that busi- j ni’ss i- gradually in r;u:s ng I'i h" furdimen- j tal factors of commercial development, not the least important of which is the recipro- : cal eharactr of the trade New Zealand. | in common with other portions of the Bri- , tish Empire, produces large quantities of . material, more or less of a non-competitive , nature, which are needed by American fae- : lories and consumers. While it is believed that the dominion can advantageously ' use American merchandise, including such industrial machinery as _is needed, it occurs to me that an interchange, on a give-and-take policy, may be mutu- ; ally beneficial. Without anv attempt to dis- ; parage other countries, I think the United i States has the capital and other facilities ; to enable it to compete successfully in the | markets of the world in a good many products. On the other hand, with its population of more than 110,000,000 people, it provides a good market for tho raw materials and primary products of countries like New Zealand. We recognise fully that the preferential arrangements of trade which are in existence, as between Great Britain and her dominions, are matters for those parties to arrange to suit Ihemselves, without • any criticism on our part. | UNITED STATES’'AND WOOL. “Tho United States’ chief interest in the products of New Zealand lies in wool. In 1919 our purchases of wool from the dominion reached the peak figure; in that year we spent £585,382 on your wool, although the normal average purchase by us, taking a glance over the last five years, is a round half-million sterling. From the latest available yearly statistics, our chief 1 purchases of your products are: —Sheepskins, £486,554; kauri gum, £416,164; wool, £394,268; gold, £354,944; sausageskins, £330,621; rabbitskins, £245,202; grass seeds. £134,682; and, in lesser quantities, butter, catt’o-hides, and flax. We bought Now Zealand lamb in 1920 to the extent of over two millions sterling, but, as you probably know, this was more or less of a speculation, as the normal purchase of lamb from here by the United States is not more than about £15.000 a year. 1 “What can America supply New Zealand? Last year the imports from the United States were valued at about six millions, a healthy increase on the normal year of 1918. In between, of course, we had tho boom years, and our trade with the dominion went up as high as 11 millions in 1920, when the boom was at its highest. In .an average year we buy about three millions worth of New Zealand products. Putting the commodities in the order of their values, the United States exports to New Zealand the following Motor spirit. £920,364; motor vehicles, £576,259: electric machinery, £230,757 ; hosiery, £184,965 ; kerosene, £184.478; dried fruits, £148,329; tobacco, £144,421; lubricating oil, £142,26-4; metal manufactures, £142,150; cotton goods, £137,178; benzine, £136,621; kinema films, £110,022; and machinery, clothing, leather, hardware, and such things as cream of tartar, etc. FIRST IMPRESSIONS. “Mv first impressions of New Zealand are pleasant ones,” said the Consul-general. “Arriving at Auckland during the holidays, when the city was crowded with visitors and race-goers, unfortunately for me, I was unable to get accommodation. I wanted to spend a few days in Auckland, but must defer my visit there till a later date. I am already very favourably impressed with the city of Wellington.' and I have seen enough to satisfy me that, for. a young country, with small territory, New Zealand is a wonderful dominion, with scenic charms and trading possibilities that should give it unprecedented expansion, while its facilities and opportunities are .actively brought to tho notice of the older countries of the world.”