BELGIAN CONSUL DEPARTS

Southland Times, Issue 23308, 18 September 1937, Page 8

BELGIAN CONSUL DEPARTS

Signed First Treaty With New Zealand SUCCESS OF TRADE PACT (Special to The Times) WELLINGTON, September 17. Today the man who signed New Zealand’s first treaty as a separate Power under the Westminster Statute sailed from the Dominion for Australia and probably will not return to New Zealand for any length of time. This is M. Armand Nihotte, for the last nine years Consul for Belgium in New Zealand. Before being transferred to New Zealand, in which he still holds the curious distinction of being in a “temporary” post according to the Belgian Government, M. Nihotte was. viceconsul in Sydney. He proved so successful here that he added between £lOO,OOO and £200,000 to the trade between Belgium and New Zealand within three years. Following this he negotiated a trade treaty with the Coalition Government early in the depression, after much fruitless negotiation with the previous United Government. This agreement, signed by M. Nihotte and Mr Downie Stewart, was the first treaty concluded by New Zealand after she attained the standing of an independent Power within the Empire in law as well as in fact.

Last 'year M. Nihotte was sent to Australia to negotiate a trade pact with that country and his success there was so great that he received the congratulations of his government which had always been of opinion that it was not feasible to reach an understanding of the type that was finally attained. M. Segaert, the Belgian Consul in Sydney, is now being transferred to Bangkok where he will be accredited as a Minister, and M. Nihotte goes to relieve him in the Australian post. He has not yet been finally assigned to this post, but opinion of those here who know M. Nihotte and the high opinion which the Australian Government has of him is that he is unlikely to return to New Zealand save to wind up his affairs here. Meantime, however, Madame Nihotte, who is a daughter of a former Australian Under-Sec-retary for Posts and Telegraphs, will remain in New Zealand with their two children.