TRADE RELATIONS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 60, 30 July 1947, Page 5

TRADE RELATIONS

NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA TRADE COMMISSIONER’S TALK “I have to thank you all most warmly for your coi’dial welcome to the pleasant Borough of Whakatane, and though we find Wellington a hard taskmaster at time's, in that it is most difficult to leave, both my wife and myself have come to the conclusion that we can only find the people of New Zealand by visiting them in their towns and in their homes, and that we are endeavouring to do.”

In this way Mr A. R. Cutler, V.C., Trade Commissioner for Australia who visited Whakatane with Mrs Cutler last. Monday addressed a gathering of local businessmen at a luncheon in the Commercial Hotel. The Deputy-Mayor, Mr S. S. Shapley presided with Mrs Shapley as his associate, and apologised for the unavoidable absence of the Mayor and Mayoress, Mr W. Sullivan, M.P. and Mr A. J. Canning. He extended a warm welcome to the visitors and expressed the hope that their stay would be a hapjfy and profitable one. Mr L. IT. Brown spoke for the local R.S.A., Mr Rex Morpeth for the Chamber of Commerce, Mr W. R. Boon for the Harbour. Board, and Mr J. Creeke as an ex-Australian. A Two-Fold, Job

Mr Cutler said he realised that his job was a two-fold one, in that it involved not only telling the people of New Zealand something about Australia, but also learning as much as possible about New Zealand and its people in order that he would be able to evaluate any problem which might present itself in future in a friendly and a kindly way. He had received the greatest hospitality since arriving and felt that in this respect the two sister Dominions had much in common.

In every town in the Dominion, however small he declared, he had been struck by the strong civic pride evinced by the people and also their sense of beauty. Everywhere parks and gardens had been set aside and cultivated. Whakatane was particularly fortunate in this respect. There was a much more balanced population in New Zealand than in Australia, where the secondary industries had increased by leaps and bounds since the outbreak of war. New Zealand by dint of her many rural towns was able to' bring the farmer into close relationship with the commercial and business interests which paid good dividends to both parties. Mutual Trade Trade relationship between the two countries went back a good distance and had built up a goodwill which had been further cemented by the associations of Anzac and the campaigns of the last war. These bonds would be strengthened as the industrial prosperity of the two countries advanced. It was interesting to note that before the outbreak of the recent war, Australia depended mainly on her primary industries, since then under the impetus of the demands for fighting equipment and materials to feed and clothe the armies, the secondary lines and heavy industries with protective tariffs had, expanded some 50 per cent, in a decade. Secondary Industries Expanded In spite of this there was still a vacuum on the home market, due partially to the' compulsory export of goods overseas in order to maintain marketing goodwill in foreign countries. The position would be gradually overtaken however but

like New Zealand it would be some time before the local demand was satisfied. Though not by any means Australia’s largest customer, New Zealand was definitely her most diversified, and the Commonwealth looked forward to sending more as time went on. New Zealand exports were welcomed, soft-goods, whale oil, seeds, hides, in fact most of the producing lines of the Dominion. The War Bond

Speaking of the ‘Kiwis’ in the last war, Mr Cutler said he had the warmest regard for the New Zealand soldier who had been a comrade-in-arms with Australia’s sons on many a battlefield. It was this relationship,..' gopfendedj would help found the peace of the future in the Pacific on a sound and amicable basis. A warm vote of thanks to • the speaker Iyas carried on the rhc-tlon of the County Chairman, Mr -J. L. Burnett, who voiced the opinion that the choice of the Commonwealth Government in their Trade Commissioner had been a very wise one.