THE TRADE OUTLOOK.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 203, 17 August 1908, Page 2

THE TRADE OUTLOOK.

Ly Telegraph.—Press Association. Dunedin, .Saturday. The presidential aduress of the Chamber of Commerce was delivered yesterday by Mr. Walter Cow, who, roferrihoto tllie trade outlook, said we may look for a, temporary falling-oil' in the value of imports of general merchandise. The situation calls for nothing more than prudence, and a reasonable amount of caution. There has b«cn no undue nidation in Otago for many years, and, so far as this province isi concerned, no excessive valuation of hind, or anything in the nature of a, boom which need fear a bursting. Already the sky is clearer, and tiho outlook more encouraging. Notwithstanding the los s of sheep on account of the heavy snowfall, (lie agricultural and pastoral outlook promises to be niucjh bettor than for years past. Mr. Cow anticipates a revival of gold mining, particularly in sluicing. Southland has sulVered little or no check, certainly less than any other part of the Dominion, and, "with the improvement in wool values,, which has already set in, the coming year is again "likely to be satisfactory for the whole of the provincial area.

A Wellington niero'liant who do'es business in a large way over a considerable part of the colony is evidently qualified to be a member of the "Sun-' shine Brigade." Chatting to a Star representative in Hawcra on Friday, he

said the talk of bad times was all rubbish. "Three years ago," he said, "we were shaking hands witlh ourselves on the prosperity of tlhe country and its good prospects, and our exports, notwithstanding the falling off, were as great to-day as they were then.,. No doubt the fall in the price of wool had ( been a nasty knock to many, but' all sorts and conditions of people have VjsScs at times, and a bad season is not Jfoing to ruin individuals, nor embnrass trade generally. Always at the dose of autumn people say, 'We are going to have a bad winter,' but have we had a bad winter? Business generally has been as good as usual, and money has come m well. It is true that the rate of interest has been put up, but that was more from fright than hurt, and naturally people who had money to lend took -advantage of the situation and made things worse. They thought they were getting too little for their money, and perhaps they were, and llivy took concerted action to get a little'more. As to the dairying, what a good time it has had, and what a good prospect it lias for the coming season! 1 don't mean (0 suy that the highesti hopes will be realised. Things seldom turn out as good as the most confident of us hope, nor as bad as the pessimists fear: but there is notlhing in the situation in Taranaki or anywhere else that suggests bad times."