The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY TUESDAY, JULY 9, 1895.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 10354, 9 July 1895, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY TUESDAY, JULY 9, 1895.

TheXie are indications tibticeab'e in every part of the world of a general revival of trade, and every confidence is felt that in a fow months. we all shall feel its effects. The returning confidence in the colonies by the monicd classes ati Home, as shown by their being so willing to invest capital ventures in J the colonies', ' make 3us think wo are not wrong in our predictions that at no distant date there will be a great improvement iti our stfate of affairs. Thoro are encouraging signs of that in every direction, /The prices.of wheat, wool* and other articles' produced in the colonies are rising — our credit is improving in the financial market, and as, British 'capital is' again -flowing this way, we may naturally regai-d it aS evidence that what is taking plaqewnota merepasßinggleaniofsunshfoe. Money i* rapidly accumulating at Some, and lying idle atlhebanks. Itonly requires suitable opportunities for" investment, ;ju the colonies to be brought' forth from its retirement,, and applied ta'the stimulation'tif enterprise and paying the wages of labour., , The splendid; offer of Ajessrs iSieinonff to ¥orm a company' with d «nj.ital of £200,000 for , con verting the ironsand iuto a commodity of' commercial value is one of the-iaatancej shou'ing that thVßritish rrionied* closes aro willing to invest their at present d»r - inant capital in New Zealand. Then there are thef Thames goldfields, which are really being workedj-,with Engl : sh capital ; in fact, .the Aupkland papers are continually referring t<> instances of the investment of British ironey in companies of various kinds, which have been promoted. by the speculators, of that city. We have had a pamphlet' sent us by Mr W, Barker, of Chfistohurcb, entitled "The Good Time Coming.' It consists of a dozen or letters, written to the Canterbury papers', in" wjiich that gentleman prognosticates that we are on the eva of a " boom " the like of which we never before have experienced. He .writes : " Our twenty lean years "have coire and gone, our fat ones are^ at haud, and the cycle repeats itself with' unfailing regularity. New Zealand is floating a S per cent loan ; it will fetch £95, and will be at par, £100, within two months. I speak a close and'intimate knowledge of the London money market. All, staple products* all over the world are hardening oio value. Petroleum, the cruder form of kcro sene, lias .advanced "already 100 per cent in America. Trade with four hundred and thirty niilliqns of industrious, people in China tiaV for the first time in the world's history, thrown open to commerce with the outaidd world, and we are on the eve of a boom -that for magnitude and duration will be utterly without precedent in history." Mr Harker becomes very enthusiastic on his iubject, for he says tbffc ''within two years the freezing trade will be entirely supetseded. Fast steamers are now being planned to carry tQ, Europe om Bheep, cattle, pigs, poultry, &c, at no more cost than the present freezing and freight rates. Passing through Wellington a fortnight ago, I ( this out to the manager of tb'?, Gear Company at their Lambton Quay shop, and today's cables show,- even under the present crude means of transport and absurdly high freights', '"» 25, per cent' profit on a trial shipment;" /There ia scarcely any doubt about, 'it, 'but thai the elements of depression are fast passing away, and that events show the commercial and industrial attnos phere is clearing fast; " If examined critically, the' statistics' of/ the British foreign trade" also furnishf* evidences ol improvement, and, at the' Same time, we find that business on' the Continent ol Europe is buoyant. Germany is looking for incieased trade with the JEast; Austria reports »n enlargement of traffic to fcbc Black Soa and Brazil; whilst the French trade is gidvfing, and by the t occupation of "Madagascar it is expected (fea'i-France .will open a new field. Tbe'/ise in prices, however, is perhaps the beßt indication of the revival in trade. Mr Harkei writes on May 25fch last, " I have ju3( rua through my private advices respecting priceß since the first letter was written in April, and gone through! 1 the telegrams and cables that have appeared in yoiu colnrnnß since then, I find/that wheat, rice, te», spices, keroseno,-,copper, silver, tin, iron, and a dozen other staple products, .hava already risen from 10 to 100 per cent., and aie still rising. In another six weeks wheat will have risen 6s pet quarter, and it will maintain this rise, aye, and more, for many,- many years to come. Neither bi-raetallisrri or Government aid- (both' fictitious remedies) will be required to solve the unemployed difficulty." And later on he goes on to say ''•the risein wheat, flojir.'tind bread mnst continue f| 'bread 1 (of, bourse) is bound to rise. -This, meads 'a great , increase in the demand ; " for potatoes . 'Our growers have suffered' heavily of' late ' years by the' extremely, .low prices. ; Fortunately they still ' hold this year's crop themselves, and should realise the high prices which they have well deserved." Ho then adds his advice to the Canterbury farmer, which is,," Plant, plant, plant." It is very satisfactory after so many years of depression to find such a general growing belief that a- revival of' prosperity ia on the eve of taking place. In Taranaki there are many evidences which point in that direction. People are coming into the disti'iot ( to settle, a;nd in New Plymouth there is. npt a shop in a prominent position to be found empty. If the sinking for petroleum proves successful, it will revolutionise tile place, and the dream of the " old settlers " of ' the future of Taranaki will be fully jeaHscd. \ </