"OUR BEST CUSTOMER"

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2123, 15 April 1914, Page 3

"OUR BEST CUSTOMER"

. ..■ . ANGLO'SERMAN TRADE k-"AN-'AMBAS3ABOIt'S SPEECH

The German Ambassador, Prince Lichnowsky, was the guest of the Loudon Chamber of Commerce at a recent dinner, when h© nindo an interesting speech (writes a London representative of the "Manchester Guardian") ou Anglo-German commercial relations and their iniiuenco in the preservation of friendly relations.

Prince Lichnowaky gave a historical skctcli of Aiiglo-Ucrniaii trade, winch, lie said, opentd up a vista through sis centuries. Th« deyclopmsnt- oi Oeruiau trade with Londou was due to those pioneers in cenjmerne, the Hanseatie towns. The first to arrive ivere the merchants of Cologne, who were soon followed by others from Lubook and Hamburg, who were established at London with special privileges granted by Henry 111 and his successor. Their property was only finally disposed of when k the memory of sofno ef those present the buildiags belonging to the Hanseatie towns Were sold to the Southern Railway in 1852, The Canaon fatreet Station now marked the site. The Hanseatie merchants were- supplanted by the merchant adventurers of Todor. times. But it was now no longer a question of privileges or supplanting, but of co-operation and common effort, for it was now recognised that cdtn< merce was not an end in itself, but a .means-of promoting the welfare of the people. The faraovm old steel yard on the riverside- near what was now the Iron Bridge Wharf, in fliaaes Street, and the beautiful Guildhall, with the pictures by Holbein, were all gone, but commerce with the Hanseatie towns awl with the whole of Germony remained and increased year by year.

German Trade With London. lie extent of tue direct shipping trade between London and Germany would probably surprise most peo-plo. Looking on the broad Thames, with the splendid vessels bound to alt parts ot tho world, it would pot occur to most ot them that 12$ per cent, ia number and 9 per cent, in tonnage had German ports ior their destination. Besides this direct trade thero was a trade with Western Germany which reached London largely from Dutch and German ports. _ Besides that, London house* we e interested m a large volume of .business consisting of ' consfcmneits which went direct from the place of product™, to other centres of trade in Germany and owing to the enoratras financial power concentrated in London a W number ot consignments to Germany were financed, or at least paid for, in London and payment for toaay Geraan exports to other countries Was also made. «? r( V, Lot \ dm tr a<*B and banking benefited to a large extent from German export and import trade, and in the same way Germany received the bulk of her British imports through London, as well as large consignments of colonial produce. As regarded foreign and colonial productions, London remained a centre of distribution of tlie greatest importance. ■

Germany was, in faet, the* best Burol>ean customer of the United Kingdom, and if they chose tlie articles only which wero produced and manufactured in the United Kingdom Germany was the best customer England had in the wlrolo world. From 1902 to 1912 the experts lrom the Dinted Kingdom to Germany advanced to the extent of SO per cent., while those of all other countries ramibined had only increased to tho extent ?f. 71 per cent, O-a the other hand, the United kmgdow bad how become Germany's best customer, and took even more than the neighbour State of Aus-tria-Hungary. In Germany industry was not so highly specialised as in this country, and coming late into the field they had to a large extent to gather iip what others had left and to nmnuiaeture small articles which had not (itemed'worth the attention of others. But British manufacturers had been, able to restrict their attention to a com* paratively limited number of great industries, and in them Great Britain held its own, while Germany'depended on tlie> importation of certain British goods.Thus eaeh nation liclpad the other, and commence brought mutual- advantages and gave rise to common interests, which in their turn fostered good understanding and friendship. Ho hoped that Anglo-German commerce, might for ever develop and increase to the benefit of both nations aud to tho peace of the world. (Cheers.) The "Berliner Tageblatt." commenting later on the speech, said that the Prince during his short residence in London has created for himself a great personal position, which-can have only a good effect upon the relatior.3 between' tlie two countries. Ho understands, the jfumal says, how lo keep thb whole Aiipilo-German question in constant activity, and how to provoke discussions \vhich, while thoy reveal on the one hand the difficulties of tho situation, show on the other that an improvement has actually been attained in AngloGerman relations, and never fajl to demonstrate that a definite understanding between Great Britain-and Germany is ono of the political necessities of the present time.