TRADING AND BRITAIN.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 February 1935, Page 12

TRADING AND BRITAIN.

(To the Editor). Sir—ln view of the importance to New Zealand, of the forthcoming trade conference in London between Dominion and British Ministers, the delegation from New Zealand might well be strengthened by the inclusion of one or more public men of wide commercial experience. • , . While party politics will, or should be, excluded from discussions of the conference, no one with any understanding of public affairs will deny that statesmen must view the questions to be raised not only from* the viewpoint of economists but as leaders dependept for success on the support of the electorate. In other words that policies are decided upon because of their likelihood or possibility of acceptance by the electorates concerned, even though they may be less perfect than would be possible if public opinion could grasp the full position. For this reason it seems desirable that Parliamentarians should be chosen as the supplementary members of the New Zealand delegation to the “Jubilee” trading conference. Among them Mr. C. A. Wilkinson should receive consideration. His commercial experience is undoubted, and it has been closely allied to the primary industries. Mr. Wilkinson has also had long years of Parliamentary experience, he has never been _ a strong party man, and he has shown independence of thought that has earned respect for his ability. There may be other M.P.’s better qualified than Mr. Wilkinson but the idea of supplementing official representation by something more closely akin to the needs of the primary industries is, in my opinion, well worthy of the Government’s consideration.—l am, etc., ANXIOUS. Stratford, February 23.