TRADE WITH JAPAN

Taranaki Daily News, 18 August 1916, Page 6

TRADE WITH JAPAN

AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW.

(From Oui Own Correspondent)

Wellington, August 17. The prospects of improved trade between New Zealand and Japan are discussed in a very interesting way liy .Mr. S. Ukita, the Japanese Trade Commissioner, who has spent the last low weeks travelling through the Dominion. Mr. Ukita is engaged upon a mission of enquiry, and he told your corerspondent today that he was very well pleased with the information lie had been able to gatlier and the avenues of trade that he believed he had discerned. He would go baelc to his country prepared to advise the Japanese merchants and manufacturers regarding the requirements of New Zealand, and he hoped to be able to remove some of the difficulties that had hampered trade in the past. "Japan's export trade is going to increase very largely ill eonseqeur.ee of the war,'' said -Mr. Ukita. "We have set out to manufacture very many articles that previously came from Germany and Austria, and the trade iigures show that we are succeeding. Then there has been a great expansion of Japanese manufacturing facilities owing to the demand for munitions foi the Allies, and these facilities will lie available for ordinary work in times of peace. Increased export', mean increased imports, naturally, and both mean enlarged transport services. All the Japanese shipyards are working their hardest at the present lime, ami some of them have taken contracts for years to come, owing to the demand of the Japanese' companies for additional steamships. Some of the vessels, doubtless, will be used for the trade with New Zealand and Austvali:'.."

The Japanese people, added Mr. Utika, would be buyers of wool, hides, tallow, etc., on a large scale in the year, to come, and they might also take dairy .produce to some extent, lliat remained to be proved, but in any ease Japan would buy goods from the countries which took her manufacture?. The necessity for securing return freights for the steamer? was obvious. The extent of Japan's exports of manufactured goods seemed to be unlimited. Japan was at the beginning of her industrial exmv.ision, anil her manufacturers doubtless had much to learn, but tliey had proved their adaptability already, and j he felt sure a big trade between Japan i and Australasia could be established with

advantage to both 1 , sides. A reference to ,the i'nport question of quality led Mr. I'tika to say something regarding Japan's commercial 'deals. He had been told, lie said, that the Japanese merchants did not maintain a sufficiently high code of commercial morality, *;nd he realised tlie very great importance of tliis point. He would bring the matter under the notice of the Japantse Covernbent on his return. But scnio of the complaints regarding the poor quality of certain Japanese goods arose from the effort of the manufae-

iurers to produce very cheaply, under the impression that the buyers desired cheapness. He hud not heard complainU on the score of price. The British countries had taken large quantities of very cheap ijoods from Germany and Austria i:i the 'past, without very 11:11; h regard [or quality. The point lie would stress was the desire of the Japanese manufacturer's to please the buyers. Japan could produce S oocls of the class required, though her manufacturers and worxcrs mi-ht'require to jnin experience in some directions.