The Christchurch Star. PUBLISHED BY New Zealand Newspapers Ltd. MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1934. THE WORLD’S TRADERS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20424, 1 October 1934, Page 6

The Christchurch Star. PUBLISHED BY New Zealand Newspapers Ltd. MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1934. THE WORLD’S TRADERS.

/AXE of tlic most significant features of the recovery in world trade is the fact that Great Britain still does the greatest foreign trade per capita, and although this trade has declined appreciably since 1921, when Britain’s imports were £24.6 and her exports £15.19 per head of population compared with imports at £13.10 and exports at £7.13 in 1933, yet the corresponding figures of her nearest competitor, France, in 1933 stood at only £B.O and £5.1, and this represented a slight increase over the previous year. The foreign trade of the United States has steadily decreased. But Japan’s position is instructive. She has a balance of imports and exports at £1.14, an improvement on 1932, but not much in advance of the 1931 figures. It may be argued that the numerical difference between the population of Great Britain and Japan makes a comparison on these lines deceptive, hut in 1932 Britain’s share in the world's trade for imports was 16.0 per cent, and for exports 10.4 per cent, whereas Japan's imports were only 3 per cent and her exports 3.1 per cent. These facts reveal a point of interest to Australia and New Zealand, that Japanese trade is small in volume and is not increasing, and that Great Britain is still by far the great trading nation of the world. LOOKING AHEAD. CO GREATLY has the volume of motor traffic increased in New Zealand, particularly in the traversing of what may rightly be termed mountain roads, that the average motorist takes, -as a matter of course, what a visitor from other lands would regard as very difficult conditions. .It might have been noted, in an illustration in the “ Star ” a week ago, that the famous Stelvio Pass, one of the most dangerous roads in Europe, over which competitors pass in the international alpine motoring trial, lias all the hairpin bends finished in concrete and a substantial stone wall protecting the outward edge of the entire length of the road. New Zealand is too poor a country to indulge in such an improvement of all its mountain roads, but with relief labour available a start should be made on such work. CHANGE VERSUS DECAY. 'T'HE SELECTION as Lord Mayor of London of the senior alderman of the corporation who has not passed through the civic chair recalls a remark by Dr Johnson that although the appointment of Mayors by seniority meant taking the chance of having a good or bad Mayor, “ the evil of competition is greater than that of the worst Mayor that can come; besides, there is no more reason to suppose that the choice of a rabble will be right than that chance will be right.” We in these enlightened days do not like to call democracy a rabble, or to think that we cast our votes according to mob psychology at each Mayoral election, but there is something to be said for the London method. In Christchurch lately the election of the Mayor by popular vole has just turned the balance in the council in favour of a party, but those who are wedded to the party ideal in local politics would not find their wishes thwarted by the appointment of the Mayor within the council, for just as the position of Deputy-Mayor to-day has become a party reward, so the Mayoralty itself would go according to party interests. One difficulty in the present system is that we invite stagnation by the election of an individual for too long a period, for it is a notable fact that the least progress has been made in civic affairs over the periods, running up to seven years, in which one man has occupied the Mayoral chair. Nobody likes to move away from democratic methods in these matters, but the experience of Christchurch suggests that civic apathy feeds upon itself, and that with tire certainty of change in the Mayoral chair we should have an urge towards initiative and a livelier interest in civic progress.