TRADE WITH FIJI

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 281, 16 August 1918, Page 3

TRADE WITH FIJI

STATEMENT BY JIB. DALTON. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, August 13. Mr. B. W. Dalton, British Trade Commissioner for New Zealand, returned from Suva yesterday. He said he found tho .exports of sugar were by far the most important item of trade in Fiji. Copra cultivation was increasing; the crop in the present year would probably be a record one. At present practically all tho copra was going to tho United States directly or through Auckland and Sydney merchants. There had been considerable development in tho use of copra in America, but it was very doubtlul whether the trade would remain in American hands to any very appreciable extent after the war. So far as general trade in Fiji was concerned, by greatest' part of the import trade prior to the war was in British goods. Ger-' many held a certain amount of trade in cheap goods, but this was small in relation to the total. Since the war, America had taken greater interest in trade in tho islands. Japan had become very much more active, largely in the direction of replacing goods formerly obtained from Germany.

Mr. Dalton expressed 'tlie opinion that British merchants would Be able to recover fairly easily this lost trade, and would obtain trade they did not have prior to 'the war. There wag strong sympathy on the part of merchants in favour of buying from British sources. He believed Australia now had the bulk of the trade in flour and biscui'ts, but New Zealand still hel<? the greater part of the trade in tinned meats, and there was a possibility of the establishment of a very important cattle industry in Fiji.