TRADE ASSISTED

Taranaki Daily News, 4 January 1935, Page 7

TRADE ASSISTED

SOUTH AFRICA AND CANADA. OTTAWA AGREEMENT EFFECT. Montreal, Dec. 10. How the Ottawa agreements had helped South African trade was emphasised in a lecture before the Montreal branch of the Royal Empire Society by Mr. David de Waal Meyer, trade commissioner for the Union of South Africa. He said South African wines had particularly benefited and were becoming more and more popular with Canadians. The balance of trade at present was largely in favour of Canada, said the speaker. In 1930, for instance, Canada supplied South Africa with goods worth £2,600,000, whereas South Africa’s exports to the Dominion totalled only £BOO,OOO. In 1931 trade fell off, but this year a great recovery was made, and in the first six months of 1934 Canada’s exports to the Union amounted to £l,200.000. Mr. de Waal Meyer’s lecture was graphically illustrated by five reels of motion pictures, demonstrating the historic and scenic beauties of South Africa. He referred also to the “affinity” between Canadians and South Africans. Both countries had dual languages, and like the French in Canada the Dutch in South Africa had retained their traditions and customs and rights. That he believed accounted for the popularity of Canadians amongst South Africans, and it rendered the tasks of the respective trade commissioners so much the easier to cultivate good feeling and business between them,