TRADE COMMISSION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1649, 16 January 1913, Page 11

TRADE COMMISSION.

HON. J. R. SINCLAIR ARRIVES. HIS EXPERIENCES IN ENGLAND. ' ■ I PREFERENTIAL TRADE. One of those who arrived from, Sydney by the Manuka yesterday was tho Hon. J. R. Sinclair, the representative of Now Zealand on the Empiro Trade Commission. llr. Sinclair left Now Zealand about eleven months ago on a trip to England and Europe, His original intention was lo combine a leisurely holiday trip with an investigation of ipecial legislation .and social conditions in various Jiuropean countries, llr. Sinclair's appointment to tho Empiro 'l'lado Commission interfered somewhat with theso plans. Arriving at, Homo in Slay of last year, he spent.some two months in 'travailing on the Continent, and visited Germany, l 1 ranee, Italy, and Switerland. From the middle of July onward Mr. Sinclair was more or less taken up with the preliminary work of the Empire Trade Commission, ■ and during the remainder of his stay in the Old Country he was seldom able to get away froih London for more than a tew _ days at if time, Though his original' plans were thus considerably modified, Mr. Sinclair found his visit to the Old Country very instructive. Such an experience must be instructive to any colonial, he remarked to a Dominion reporter who interviewed him yesterday afternoon, and it .was a pity that most'colonials who made tho trip Home were only able to do so after they had attained or passed rniddlo life. Upon the work of the Commission, Mr. Sinclair declined to enlarge in any way. pointing out that'its lyork was not yet completed, and that it' would bo wrong on his part to give expression to opinions which- further evidence might., possibly cause him to modify. . The Commissioners, Mr. Sinclair stated, were on . their way. out to. Australia, on the I'. and 0.. steamer Medina, which left, London on January 3. They would begin to take evidence in Dunedin. towards the:end of. February or tho beginning of March, and .would then' hear evidence in Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland.. He did not know whether they would sit at any other towns, but the members of tho Com. mission would naturally desiro. to seo something 1, of the Dominion's resources. After leaving New Zepland they would go to Sydney, And thence to Brisbane, Sydney again, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide, and Perth.",-, :-. ' ' Preferential Trade. On ,the subject of preferential trade, Mr. Sinclair.spoko with reserve, but interestingly. He considers it a great'pity that the question trade relations cannot be dealt with independ-' ontly of party. In - his' opinion,- the -matter should be approached si)nl>ly froih the-standpoint, "how can we givo'our owii licople first call 'in out own ..'markets?" .It,is a mistaken idea,' Mr. Sinclair. add 7 '■ cd, that the British, consumer is lightly burdened iu tho.matter of Customs taxation. He .holds, oil the contrary, that thpro is any amount 'of room for readjustment. In this .connection'; 4 lie. mentioned such , articles . as - tea, Upon', which a duty of fivopence .per pound is levied ill Great Britain, w.horer.s all save China tea enters New Zealand' free of duty.' .Coffee and sugar aro also taxed as they enter Great ''Britain, and, generally speaking, Mr. Sinclair remarked,.",the poorerclasscs in the Old Country bear -a heavy burden of taxation upon the article? thatgo to furnish their breakfast' tables,' -' i, ; . Speaking of the trouble that has lntisly Arisen,in tho rallies of the Unioniist party, at Homo, Mi. Sinclair-said that it was coming to be universally recognised that iio preferential tariff involving ,a bur- 1 densomo tax upon 'the food of tho pcoplo of Great' Britain would bo tolerated. ' It was also recognised that none 'of the Oversea Dominions \yould ask for tho imposition, of taxation of:, this nature..-'-At the saniot timo. Sinclair, does not think that a tariff readjustment; involving the imposition of a small tax.on wheat would necessarily prove burdensome to the people of Great Britain. - , . A Painful Contrast. . ' One eould'not help becoming aware of' a painful'contrast, lie remarked, in comparing the depopulated areas of Great Britain with the small farm, tillage of Franco and -Italy.'. "Along tile lines of railway." Mr. Sinclair remarked, "France is cultivated like Chinamen's' gardens: Climate, gf: course, is an important factor. In Great Britain, with its harsh ; climate, small-farm, cultivation could never be carried to tho same lengths' as in France-Md ,Italy, but even so the contrast which it prosents to these countries from an' agricultural standpoint, is verj' marked." • ' - .' /' What he saw of social conditions in England inclines Mr. Sinclair to the opinion'that the poorer people»have, many just, grievances which clamour for reform. As -to whether this condition of ; affairs is lilccly to exert any early influence upon the political situation lie is not so sure. Tho Labour partj-, ho remarked, seemed inclined'to'continue its. allianco with tho Liberals and no doubt would continue'in - their company till the next general election, which was not likely to be long delayod. ' Whilo ho was in London Mr. Sinclair, spent a good ■ many afternoons' in. tlio House of Commons and was upon the whole impressed by ,the debates to which ho listened, -These encounters lost something of interest, however, from the fact that the (juestion at i6sud was usually ono upon which party lines were sharply drawn. As a consequence the, bencne's upon one side of the House were often empty. "Very good speeches were! delivered, ' Mr.-Sinclair remarked,'"if thero had been anyone to listen to ,tLem 1" •; One of the prominent public inen whom Mr. Sinclair met in London was Mr. Winston Churchill. From this Minister; ho learned that tho Labour .exchanges, instituted - somo- time ago, wero giving great satisfaction. Large sums of money had been advanced to enable workers to movo to parts of the country-where work was most plentiful and tho percentage of repayments of these advances was 60 large as to gratify tho authors of the scheme; Amounts outstanding wero relatively small and were not looked upon as permanently, lost. : Mr. Sinclair will leave for tho south to-night, aeoompanied by Mr. Maloolm Ross, secretary to tho Empiro Trade Commission.