The Daily News. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30. THE COLONY'S COMMERCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81877, 30 October 1906, Page 2

The Daily News. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30. THE COLONY'S COMMERCE.

The annual report uf the Department of Industries and Commerce was laid on the table of the House of Representatives on Thursday afternoon las.. The report is of considerable interest. The report states that

ilie prices obtained for wool, butter, clieese, and hemp during the yeai have been sucli as should give Hie greatest encouragement 10 producer , wiule in the case of frozen meat and ■tlier leading expou lines the prices had compaied favcurab.y with previous years. The pleasing price* made the year's exports a iccoid"bowing an increase of ,£yo7,syy over Ue p.cvious year. There arc no. lacking lncVaticns- that prices L>r ihe present year will be in mu.it can'., well up to last year's, especially as regards butler, hemp, and wool, and altogether the future for productin these lines is regarded as particularly blight. Tie repoit suggests that in view of the grow.ii of tne ex port trade and the devolopment of keen competition, the time has a me for the strengthening of the colom-'s commercial staff in London. Special efforts should be made to blineNew Zealand produce under the notice of importers i n t i ic l arge manu . factunng centres of the United King dom. Merchants in Glasgow, Miiicliester, Liverpool, Cardiff, Brisiol and other large centres of population are turning their attention to NewZealand produce, and are anxious to make direct commercial and financial arrangements with the colony

The proposed renewal of the South African subsidised steam service the report continues, h as engaged the attention of the Government, but owing to the tenders for a new service being considered too high the Government did not see its way to accept any of the offers made. The subsidies required were excessive compared wiih aie volume of trade to be expected from the service. The Tyscr Company has now decided to establish a service calling at South African ports, and the steamers despatched by this company should fill the requirements ''. New Zealand shippers for the time being. Ijnless there are full cargoes offermg , n New Zealand, this company s steamers will call at Australian ports to complete loading. Wheie a number of Australian ports are ouched, the voyage will unfortunately be prolonged so as, (0 make arrives in Africa rather ind-finite. The •Vest of England steam service, arranged by contract with the New Zealand a.id African Steamship Company, has proved of great b-mefit to ■his country. The monthly sailingi«r months past have comprised full cargoes of frozen meat and general Induce, chiefly f or Cardiff, Bristol". Liverpool, Manchester, and Glasgow he demand for Now Zealand produce m the piovincial markets of Great Britain may be considered very satisfactory, and the extension of trade >n this direction will, no doubt, be great.

.Irt", a i"'"' t0 ffCttinff inttt m "™ d'cct trade connection with our jm-it sister country of Canada, a sleam sc'rfor a period of „ ne vcar between N * w Zealand ports and the Western nor Effort, are now &£ R made to convert this service into a re one, as it is c „nMdorable trade may be done wkn Canadian western ports i„ fro "„ ;;.»-« .been *?pS'bv f *"*. but it ,s expected that whmZ Importers and merchants „ , J « Gt in, ° cl Pis d r Th r r U,tS Wi " bB acro "'- ss , 3ssrs P<«ed.by japan' and o t,er I-Wn' countries, there is Km 1 , taßtcrn "".» Par. of the world. The Aust 'l 'his amount is the item Wool 1

c«me a serious m cui ~ i „T b trade. Tb ''' * c »* Zealand butter and, age of mnisture n-lnVh if 'mate trader, it is on T v J , „ k 8 [t ] .jmebefpro New Ze^/bX*v,i individuality on the fr m 'tl 1 ' k , Cener "mpe'tiiion comes a a it f° duct!onß "f Siberia, Canada, the Argentine etr ,„ i surely will ;\- P ,' 7 ,-', and cumc " ,M„ , ' Zealand wi Ib e i cs , --sac™' Je-Ss butter tu- Xe.v 7„.,u„ i , t-,1,, r ' to prevent set nn hj,. n i a Committee -»t up by (he Home Government t„ =C.t^-'^

U- WE WERE AT WAR Ugcs of ,„., Alliance with England '' the "I' ranee Militaire" -avs thJc in case of war between England and ranee on the one hand,ami CermaT »n the other, E„g] and could icndc'r ennnnuus askance apart from the ,•' ■ „. B( -''"tf "« longer hym,r,-ed by the Afghan frontier. ;■'"' COU d "■•""'v. *nd Jo.ooo white t>»ops for service on the Continent, ll'.ese could be replaced bv militia--15000 militiamen from the United Kingdom could i,i|,e ih,., ~[;,,■,, llf 10.000 regulars in Sb-utfi Africa who would be despatched t« the assistance "U'Ujicc. limber. 5000 men could without danger be withdrawn from Ceylon, Hongkong, Singapore and China. Thus 45 000 splendidlvira ncd tropps. most of whom had jet'll active .-ervice, could be sent to join ,', Uu I'U'flth armies. i_ n addition l-> these, adds the \\i\. ar - Eng|arjd,'_s »j-l ! 'H.di(l native army must be added. f'lie Gourkl,, ls ,i„d I*--.rli.--n-- ar ,. mosi Mi'iabie lor European work.' : H,c native troops would also have the'important duty of ganisoning South Afuca, Arabia, the Persian Gulf, Egypt, and k'vpmg i|, o Turk- in A-ia Minor 1,, check. For her home delence England would hastily 1110niilise her volunteers and yeomany. 100,000 of whom would serve for tlie defence of London. With these fining forces, and her fleet on the alert, England would be shclicrcd I'tom any disastrous raid by' the em my. Dm ng the Doer war '20,000 w.ung men from the npp,. r ' t joined liie i-'ilmu., immediately. How much gicater wi.uld be their number' in case M■ a European war in a Lealthy. civilised ci.iinlry, where war would only !)■■ a sport n ,nrc dangerous than dthe,s! A Eur»|,eai, war would brng one gieat good to England: a modernisation ■■•'{ ihe Bi ilisb Army would necessarily follow. A difiiculty would , of coins-, be the lack of cflicient officers; but England might iidr.pt the course of Japan in tin' late war, of creating officers for the I'me the war last;,. England, it is stated, has devoted friends in Europe. Portugal- for instance, would place two excellent army corps at England's disposal,