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Hokitika Guardian, 30 November 1929, Page 4

Thk announcement by the Government of Argentina of very substantial reductions in the duties oil fabrics and artificial silk imported from Great Britain may be taken as further evidence of the value of the work accomplished by the British Economic Miss on beaded by Lard D’Abernon which recently visited the South American republic. The mission, which was aoeorflbd a very favourable reception, succeeded in arriving at a provisional agreement that Argentina should purchase during the next two years British manufactures to the approximate value of £8,000,900 required by the Government for rail-

ways and public works, in return for British purchase, through trade channels, of Argentine food products to a similar value. Such an arrangement has naturally been regarded with gratification as marking a step towards the recovery by Great Britain of her export trade to Argentina. Traditionally Argentine was. one of Britain’s steadiest customers. Before the war Britain held nearly one-third of the import trade of the republic, while the l nitod States had less man one-sixth. I he war gave the Americans the opportunity to draw level, but something has now been accomplished in the direction of winning hack lor Britain the trade that had been lost. The Economic Mission wont to Argentina with the object of examining the difficulties that have been preventing Great Britain from maintaining her previous preininnc as an exporter t n this market, and found its task facilitated by the nature of the reception accorded it. H was comparatively recently that the status of the official representative of tli British Government in Argentina was raised to that of an Ambassador, and since then there has been a noticeable tendency towards the establishment between the two* countries of relations of a very cordial character. In goodwill of the Argent : ne Government towards Great Britain is unquestionable, as the members of Lord D’Abernon’s mission found to their satisfaction.