REMOTE POSSIBILITY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19104, 27 August 1936, Page 14

REMOTE POSSIBILITY

CONFLICT IN EUKOPE TRADE RECOVER \' IX L\K. BUSINESSM AX'S VIEW Following a depression which crippled trade throughout the world England hns made a remarkable recovery which is the envy of every other country, according to Mr. R. J. Fetherston, governing director of Messrs. Thomas Meadows and Company, Limited, a century-old London shipping and freight firm, who is on a business trip to Australia and New Zealand. Interviewed at New Plymouth, Mr. Fetherston was enthusiastic in his belief that greatly improved times would soon be experienced in England and consequently in New Zealand. "I am firmly convinced, .and here I have the expressed opinions of experts to bear me out, that England's present industrial prosperity will continue to increase, resulting in a sustained improvement of primary produce prices, which means that New Zealand will share in the better -times. "For the past two years England has been emerging from the slump period, and now she has .almost forgotten ' the depression. In this respect I'refer-to the Midlands and South .of .England, for the North is still suffering the paralysing effects of the great slump in coal and cotton. Even here, however, signs of recovery are rapidly becoming evident. ON THE SIDE OF PEACE ' "Of course my certainty of progressive improvement is based on present facts, omitting the consideration of an international crisis. However; despite the troubled state of Europe, I am of the opinion that the possibility of war is a remote one. I fully admit there are obvious international differences and quarrels, but these are practically all political and not likely to lead to any major upheaval. The greatest argument against the probability of war is that no nation wants such an outbreak to occur.

"In Europe, for instance, Britain is whole-heartedly on the side of peace, France, with good reason, dreads the possibility of international strife, Germany does not want war and Italy is once more on the side of peace. This last remark appears a -contradiction of the Abyssinian campaign, but Signor Mussolini is a man who knows when to stop and will do anything but precipitate a world-wide conflict. "From this you will see I believe that war is the last thing the powerful nations of Europe desire. Well, if this is correct, and I am positive it is, it will not come.

"Added to this I have noticed in New Zealand that you have exaggerated ideas about the critical state of the European international strain. Things are certainly not as friendly as they might be, but they are equally as certainly not hanging by the slender thread you seem to think."