Patea & Waverley Press MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29th, 1920. THE PANAMA CANAL AND NEW ZEALAND.

Patea Mail, Volume XLIV, 29 November 1920, Page 2

Patea & Waverley Press MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29th, 1920. THE PANAMA CANAL AND NEW ZEALAND.

In a recent Home journal Sir Thomas Mackenzie, 1 lie late High Commissioner 'for the Dominion, has some interesting and instructive remarks to make concerning the importance to this country of the Panama (.’anal. The future effect of this great undertaking on the overseas trade of New Zealand, lie states, is not yet fully realised The opening of this new international highway, the severing of two great continents and the linking of two great oceans, almost synchronised with the out break of the world-war. The subsequent diversion of shipping and the general interruption of ocean transport, from which New Zealand in common with Australia suffered more severely than any other parts of the Empire, prevented the fullest use being made of the Canal. In the circumstances, it was impossible to test and appreciate its advantages. But there is little doubt that the prediction uttered some years ago by that distinguished Canadian statesman, the late Sir Richard Mcßride of British Columbia, to the effect that the Canal would achieve for the West what the Suez Canal had achieved for the East, will be amply and, perhaps, speedily verified. Sir Thomas proceeds Let us consider for a moment how greatly the Canal has changed the geographical relations, so to speak, of the Dominion and the Old World. It lias abridged the distance between London and Auckland by a thousand miles, in point of steaming time by several days. So far as duration ol the voyage is concerned it has brought New Zealand nearer to Britain than are the Pacific Ports of Australia—Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The long, circumlocutory routes via the Cape of flood Hope and Capo Horn are practically eliminated or unnec-

eessary. .Steamers have a much more direct route through the Panama, and traverse .summer seas nearly all the way. It is important, however, for » British manufacturers and exporters who have commercial relations with New Zealand, to remember that this country and Western Europe generally have no monopoly of this advantage. The NewWorld shares it with the Old. United States did not construct the Canal solely or even chiefly for the purpose of providing European merchants with a new avenue between the Atlantic and the extensive markets of the Pacific. That may have been the intention of Ferdinand De Lesseps: it certainly was not that of Theodore Roosevelt. From my present standpoint, however, the pertinent fact is that the Canal has brought not only New Zealand but Australia much nearer to the great ports and markets of the Atlantic seaboard of North and South America. New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Halifax in the North, and Rio de Janiero and Buenos Aires in the South, to say nothing of the West Indies, arc now directly accessible to Australia and New Zealand. And vice versa. If we examine the horizon of the future with intelligent foresight, it is easy to perceive that this immense abridgment of distance between once Avidely separated centres of production and consumption is hound to exercise a great and groAving influence on the trend

and development of New Zealand’s oversea trade, both as regards imports and exports.” Sir Thomas MacKenzie proceeds to give some interesting figures to show the expansion of New Zealand’s trade with Canada and the United States during recent years. Me points out that in 1913 New Zealand’s exports to Canada were valued at £606,000. In 1915 the value was £925,000; in 1917, £961,000, and in 1918, -£t ,793,576. In 1913 our exports to the United Stales were valued at £912,000. In 1915 the value was £2,006.000; in 1916, £2,493,000; in 1917, £1,894,000; and in 1918, £4,045,648. Bvcu more marked expansion was shown in regard to our imports from those countries. In 1913 our imports from Canada were valued at £452,000. In 1915 the value was £797,000; in 1917, £757,000; and in 19.18, £930,964. In 1913 our imports from the United States were valued at £2,107,000; in 1915 the value was £2,600,000; in 1917, £3,900,000; and in 1918, £4,980,748. All of which goes to show that the trade that should be Britain’s is gradually slipping away to other countries. British manufacturers should therefore strain every nerve to strengthen their hold on New Zealand <as a market for their goods. The Panama Canal may eventually turn out a blessing for New Zealand and Australia, but rather the reverse for the British manufacturer.