AMERICA'S TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2271, 3 October 1914, Page 5

AMERICA'S TRADE.

AND THE EFFECT OF THE WAR OPENINGS FOR BUSINESS Visiting Wellington at tho present time'is Mr. A. F. Street, a member of tho firm of It. W. Cameron and Co!, of Now York, which lias had a business connection with New Zealand from a time dating" away back in the fifties. Interviewed yesterday, Mr. Street soid that in common with all other countries in the world, American trade had suffered' severely since tho outbreak of the war—trade had been killed temporarily for the simple reason that there wore no ships available to carry the goods. America's ..mercantile fleo't was not a very big one, but he thought that with the experience of 'tho present war as' a guide tho' fleet would rapidly increase. Still, with so many English and German ships tied tip. trade had been considerably hampered, and it was not until tho British Government arranged a reasonable. war insurance risk that the vessels would put to sea. ,■ ■■ A Crcat Opportunity., "This war is America's great opportunity," said Mr. Street, "and you may bo sure that she is going. to fight for a big share of the world's trade.' There are plenty of lines which Germany has been depended on for in tho pa6t that oould be manufactured in'.Auierioa. Wo may not bo able to mini them out as cheaply, as we lack Germany's cheap labour, but if the article costs a little more it will, 1 think, bo found to bo bettor value in tho long run. Take toys, for example. American children like toys jnst as well as any others, and they get them. They cost more than the gimcrack German toys, but, unlike thorn, they do not break tip in a day. We x still gat our cheapest toys fiom Germany, but when wo want good ones, wo buy our own." . '.'-.

Mr. Street said he believed that England's 'trade was going to benefit enormously by tho w&r, and the made the seas absolutely safe the sooner would she-realiso.tho enormous.increase of trado she wouid get as the result of Germany being cut right out. It would bo years after the war had ceased he thought before tho pritisli people would consent to purchase anything German, and the merchant who would try''to sell German stuff would have a pretty rough time. America will bo able to •manufacture many of the chemicals which: have, hitherto' been supplied to' England by Germany," though for many years past oven America has depended on Germany for certain _ primary chemicals. , Tho.war is showing how important it was that every nation should,be quite independent as regarded the manufacture of everything essential to.life. America could make pianos of all grades, and he expected to-see. the cheap American instrument supersede the cheap German piano on the colonial market. Cable Difficulties. What was being found to be a serious block to business in Australasia was the, insistence of the n Government on all commercial,cable 'rnossagos. being made out in plain language instead of some' eenernlly accepted commercial code. This might be arranged, and could be made worka.ble.by the sender supplying a copy of the message .in plain English. People, hesitated about giving a small ordor when faced by-cable''charges of £4 ht £5. It did not matter so. much when a largo amount was being ordered. 710 quite understood the 1 precautions the British Government/had to take at such a timo,'but"imagined that it-was tho duty of a' Government to see that trade was maintained as vigorously as conditions would allow. ' The Panama Canal. . ' ''-. ■■ ■ "The most interesting bit of news to us of late," continued Mr. Street/ "was the message stating that the steamer Corso, bound this way from New York, was coming via the Panama Canal. In the cases of vessels loading at Montreal, .Now York, or Boston, the new oanaJ is going to be of considerable assistance to American trade, arid that the opening of the canal should occur during the progress of a great war.is a coincidence that America can hardly fail to profitby.' I don't know precisely what tho canal rate is, but I fancy it •is oiio dollar per net ton register. Allowing that to be the case, I should say that a steamer of 4000 tons net register would carry something ■ like 10,000 tons of cargo, so that the canal dues on the cargo would bo less than half a dollar a ton. that thefreight chargo amounts to Is. Bd. p§r ton through the canal more than via the Cape of Good Hopo, the saving of three weeks' time should amply compensate for that, particularly if the goods were .urgently re-: quired." '■".'■.