INDUSTRIALIST ARRIVES

Taranaki Daily News, 18 November 1930, Page 9

INDUSTRIALIST ARRIVES

INVESTIGATING COMMERCE DORD BARNBY. IN NEW ZEALAND. INTEREST IN IMPERIAL TRADING. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. A distinguished visitor who arrived by the Maunganui from San' Francisco to-day is Lord Barnby, who will spend a month in the Dominion in an endeavour to get as closely in touch as possible with every phase -of commerce, industry and sport in the country. His inquiries will be neither cursory nor superficial. Lord Barnby hopes to find time to see something of sport and the scenic wonders of New Zealand. At present he is the guest of the Governor-Gen-eral.

Lord Barnby said he was looking forward to discussing matters bearing upon intra-Imperial trade. He was in touch with New Zealand matters closely when Sir Thomas MacKenzie was High Commissioner. He had control for the British Government of wool and controlled the distribution of New Zealand wool clips during the period of control as chairman of the Wool Textile Research Association, central research body for the wool textile industry for the Empire, to which New Zealand and other Dominions were contributors. Lord Barn'by is anxious to get into touch with agricultural research here. Lord Barnby is one of the executive committee of the -Empire Economic Union of which Lord Melchett is chairman, working at economic research to examine practical lines along which intra-Imperial trade can be scientifically developed. “It is too soon for me to say anything regarding Imperial trade,” said Lord Barnby, ’’but I shall be addressing various commercial and, other bodies while I am in New Zealand.”

Lord Barnby is principal of the firm of Francis Willey and Co., Bradford and Boston, a director of Lloyd’s Bank with which the National Bank of New Zealand is affiliated, and director of the Commercial Union Assurance Company. He is a member of the Central Electricity Board which controls the supply of electricity throughout England. He is past-president of the Federation of British Industries. Lord Barnby is one of the four British Representatives to the advisory committee of the Economic Council of the League of Nations at Geneva. From the outbreak of the Great War he served with the Sherwood Rangers in Egypt, Gallipoli and Macedonia and was mentioned in despatches. He was recalled to organise the War Office wool purchases and was controller of wool supplies from 1916 to 1919, directing the purchase of British, Australian, New Zealand and South African wool clips. He is a member of the development council of the Department of Overseas Trade.