TRADE WITH THE EAST.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume XXVII, Issue 1340, 13 October 1931, Page 4

TRADE WITH THE EAST.

-■■ ■■ '+»_ : — > By Anglo- Easterner. SUBSIDIARY MARKETS OF THE EAST. To ensure success m the venture of extending- Dominion trade m the East, it is essential to tap the greatest number of markets consistent with an economic and speedy shipping service. Secondary ports muiSt therefore be omitted, and extensive distribution effected through the great commercial centres. Provided that the expense and delay of including Australian ports is avoided, Norfolk Island might be considered as a first port of call. , The islanders are appealing for direct service with the Dominion, and although an exclusive line: has not proved a V paying proposition, inclusion m the- Eastern route might well be profitable and meet the requirements of the island. From- there", too, some distribution would percolate to the Solomons, New Caledonia and other Pacific islands. Batayia; should be made to serve the Dutch East Indies, excluding Sumatra, better reached through' Singapore and Penang, white Siam, Borneo and parts of Burma also automatically come within the sphere of activity attributed to the Straits. French Indo-Ghina or~ Annam provides at least as good a field as Java for trade exploitation, but it is Singular that this ; market is little, considered. The French seem to be conceded more credit than the Dutch m the caring and catering- for their Eastern territory. Allowances must be'made for similar • oeaditia®* aad -for French trade preference, but the opportunities for placing; , Dominion 1 meat and fruit should be equally good,, and for butter and dairy products very anuch better than; the D.E.I. Sargon, the capital,; is. within easy reach of Singapore, and a neutral port of call on the way China. There are approximately 25,---000 Europeans, mostly French, including a mUitary establishment, from which direct contacts should be Straits Settlements. s The French Government have also an excellent hill station with first-class hotels, dubs, etc.,' where the. reputation of the French cuisine calls for only the very highest quality produce. Sargon, known as the Paris of the East^ ranks among French ports with, Bordeaux -m importance. New Zea landers who have, visited the great Mediteranean seaport op. their European journeyings will appreciate the significance pi; this. If the New y Zealand snip tacks djrect to Hbng-kpng* frpin. Sargon within three days she. will find her^ self again m Britain Overseas. Much that has been said about Singapore applies equally to Hongkongj m fact> there is a similarity about these two great ports,, established on" tiny islets served by "the- same, shipping lines and with their Government .houses «v. centres both of leigisia,tive and social activity. Both have large floating populations. composed of globe-trotters and the up-country residents who cohgregate for all festivities. Both have sailors, soldiers, civil (Servants and merchants,; who live at the high standard required by British prestige jn the. .East. The marketing conditions are also alike, Chinese "cookies" purchasing from Chinese shopkeepers for. discriminating Britishers. 'Intercourse is m pigeon English, less dignified but easier for purposes of a trade enquiry than the foreign languages of Batavia, Singapore and Sargon. v ' . -.' . ' Shanghai, oiie of the greatest cities of theEast, would make a fitting last port of call. England,, the Continent and America have 'nothing to teach Shanghai m the way of luxury and gaiety, and merchandise or produce which t can be sold ,m ; competition there will have established its claim to recognition; anywhere.. This port is the half-wayhouse of the world the link between shipping 'of both hemispheres, terminus .''of lines going East through Suez and West from Canada and the U.S.A; The opportunities for provisioning ships alone should make an appeal, while New Zealanders can reclaim their cherished vision of tempting teeming millions__jrresistible attraction to people. o f sparsely populated lands. This brings us naturally to. a consideration of Japan— a great' human hive of activity, where the people are really countless— but it is doubtful if it would be a payable proposition to include Japan m any proposed itinerary, quitd apart from unduly protracting the shipping service. 'The Japanese companies are already sending direct shipping to New Zealand^ and after the unfortunate attitude of the Wellington waterside workers, 'it would be difficult to claim reciprocal trading. Let New Zealanders be thankful for every bale of wool purchased by Japan and refrain from disturbing present conditions. Japan may be used' to further the argument m favour of giving preference to Britain Overseas, for the Dominion would not ; then have to accept m exchange -foreign-made goods which ■would under-sell her home products and flood her markets with mass production manufacturers.. ' The British Foreign Secretary has issued a timely warning td European nations. Mr Henderson; tols Jhem they had tqsJmj; their eyes ta. tlw

fact that international trade must take the form of barter. New Zealanders, too, must bear this m mind, and her representative who has just sailed for Java should have been empowered to make concessions to the D.E.I, if he is expected to procure trade openings for the Dominion. Howiever, the despatch of' a representative, at all is" a step m the right direction^and, if his scope for enquiries is not wide enough, or his powers insufficient, "it is never too late to mend." But, if we concede that it pays to advertise and that the guiding principle m a time of depression is to double publicity, a far bigger, scheme than the despatch of on§> representative will be favoured. ; Great Britain spends handsomely on trade exhibitions. England must find \ such advertising productive, for she persists. New Zealand, while obviously unable to attempt exhibitions upon the European scale, might still profit by the example. countries have more to ; -_ advertise on more need for • advertising. Isolation is among the chief of New Zealand's •commercial problems, and if trade will not come to N.ew Zealand, i she. must go' out and get. it— '.'the mountain must go to Mahomet." '! The ideal campaign for an' extension of New Zealand trade would be the equipment : of a, trade vessel to visit prospective markets. New Zealand produce would be; carried am. New Zealand publicity effected. Tho command should be given to an exnaval officer of .sufficient ly high rank to receive and entertain Colonial Governors, High Commissioners, commanding- officers, foreign consuls and native rulers. Representatives of the cattle and dairying industries should be sent and empowered to negotiate, by their respective organisations. The Government should be r&~ presented by the Publicity and Tourist Department and preferably by a New Zealander with -overseas tropical >. experience- (there are New Zealanders m the Malayan Civil Service). Last and by no means least, an English-speaking- Chinaman should be included ; many: of the great towkays of the Straits have educated their sons at English universities, and no Britisher, no matter his qualifications or experience^ could prove so useful as a Chinese to wkay m any of the markets we have considered. Their method of marketing is so different from ;that of the occitlent that a Chinaman would have an, advantage., even over a Chinese-speaking English. Civil. Servant. ' The New Zealand trade "show boat" would be assured of a welcome m any port .she entered. A small charge, for boarding — a dollar or guilder,, as the case, may *be (about .: 9/-) would bring m a considerable sum. The ship should be. equipped with . restaurant service. ( (all New Zealand produce), m addition to a deck cafe, ..while industrial and scenic films and lectures would prove an attraction. „ irade exhibits should be. comprehensive, and there should also be a representative collection of sporting tropiues and pnotograhps. . If a lew talented JNew Zealand artists supplement a first-class band , enrolled among the stewards •or crew,; any foreign port could be effectually stormed and carried m the cause of trade. New Zealand business men would be balloting for passage on a tour of unique - interest and would help to pay expenses to. supplement receipts for cargo and boarding ana entertainment charges. It will necessitate the boldness and vision of Wembly organisers for New Zealand to make this phantom ship a actuality— a chip of beauty, dressed from stem to stern, With the band playing her to her: berths m the overseas markets of the world.'— "N.Zv Financial Times." ■.-'■■'" . ( ■ • " "