LINKS WITH INDIA.

Taihape Daily Times, 4 September 1919, Page 5

LINKS WITH INDIA.

.\'l=_lw CHANNEL FOR NEW f ZEA'LAN'D TRADE. AUSTRALIAN CU3iMISSIONER OPTIMISTIC. SNAPPING THE POST-WAR CHANCES. Industrial possibilities following on the signing of the armistice formed the, subject of some interesting r‘em:lrks by Mr W. B. McGl'egor, /Australian ‘irade Comrmissioner, who arrived in Auckland on the Niagara. Mr i\lcGre~ gor explained that in th‘e absence -of Mr Dalton, who was at present at Home, he was "paying a visit to New Zealand with 3. View to keeping in touch with matters affecting trade between Australasia and the Old Country, and wo‘uld remain here for some six or eight weeks_ He mentioned first the industrial position at Home, and said it was one which obviously gave Cause for grave. anxiety. At the same time it was actually and steadily improving, although it might take from twelve to eight%en months to restore things to anything like their normal condition. The almost total disorganisation of Great Britain from the overseas trade point of view was very difiicult to understand at this distance, but there was no doubt Whatever that the reorganisation of works and factories throughout the country which had taken place during the war, together with the quiekening of the ‘whole nation. would‘ ena‘e.l‘e Great ißrits2tin once more to become the dominant trade nation in the world,

M IMMENSE-LY IMPRESSED. Mr MCGI-egor, who has been in Aus« tralia sonre twelve months, said that he, ’ like every other observer, was inlnlensely impressed with the possibilities of the country, and at the same time the spareity of its population. He pointed out that he also acted as Trade Com- _ '-'—’missioner for the Indian Government, and that there were great possibilities for-;t_h'e development of trade between ?'ln‘dia=a_nd Australia and New Zealand. ‘.N‘¢ one, he said, had any idea -of the ex~ tent} to ‘TVhIl.C’h thi_s'»‘ particular industry gj could _be developed. We,_on the other hand, required from India. jute_,'w‘heat sacksflcarpets, laces, and embroideries. ENGLAND’Sa’V'AST EFFORT. ' _ Few people,‘he Wentton to say; had“ A as yet a proper appreciation of the? prodigious and dominating effort put forvvard by the engineering industries' of the United Kingdom during the war. The unprecedented magnitude of this effort had resulted in a state of trade dislocation incomparable with‘ that of any of the Allied nations. At the same. time great pressure was being brought to bear on large British firms to give preference to urgent orders for material needed in connection with the reconstruction of the devastated areas in France and Be]gium, and, consequently, prices :out, here were abnormally high. With'the passing of the transition stage fro-.n‘ war to peace these large firms, however, looked forward with justifiabln confidence to regaining the leading position which they had always held among the nations of the world.