TRADE WITH THE EAST.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4656, 1 February 1924, Page 1

TRADE WITH THE EAST.

BIPE FOB EXPLOITATION. As a result of his visit to Japan and the Far East, Mr T. M. Wilford has returned to New Zealand convinced that' there is a good market there for New Zealand products. In the course of an interview (states the Wellington “ Dominion ”) he remarked that his observations and inquiries went to show that the old form of dress in Japan was gradually being recognized as unhygienic, and wpollen goods were finding a way in.

The climate of Japan, Mr Wilford pointed out, was so largely like that of New Zealand that our dress must eventually be used. Walk down the main street of any Japanese town at night and you will see, even in the evening, hundreds o'f Japanese dressed in European style. Now, would it not be wise for pur country to look on Japan, not only as a possible market in the future, but as one well worth cultivating right away ? I ( would advise the wool gro.wersi of this caun.ti’y to get, together and send ■ accredited agents tb Japan, for the -Japanese like' New Zealanders, and are most friendly disposed to trade. That is my opinion afiter meeting members of the chambers of 'commerce in that country. “The East is and will be for all time u great market for dried milk, condensed milk and butter. I saw no New Zealand brands of condensed ■milk, 1 either in Java, Signapore, China,., and Japan l , though I saw many other' brands. There is. an immense field and a huge population in the East, wanting good articles in all these- lines. Let No,w Zealand immediately get' into touch with the principal merchants of Signapore, or the Chamber of Commerce, in regard to dried-milk, condensed milk, and butter, and in regard to butter let me say this, that huge quantities yf butter are being exported from this country to Australia, and their tinned in one pound tins and sent to Singapore as Australian butter. Why cannot our butter be tinned here and sent direct to the free port of Singapore without loss of time ?

“Come, again, to the Dutch East. Jiva, with its population of, roughly ■speaking); thirty-eight millions, and the Dutch East'lndies, with the population of fifty-seven million,® altogether, are ripe for exploitation with dried milk, condensed milk, butter, and thin rugs. Is it not possible, therefore, for something .to be done in these directions to help our country’s trade. Personally, to sum up mv remarks, I believe that it would pay to have a commercial agent in the East; and if the butter people, the milk people, and the woollen people could see 1 what T have seen, they would, I am sure, take care that no time elapsed before this move was made.”