BELGIUM’S GRATITUDE

Taranaki Daily News, 20 January 1921, Page 2

BELGIUM’S GRATITUDE

CONSUL-GENERAL ARRIVES I TOUR OF THE DOMINION. . TRADE RELATIONS. M. Henri Segaert (Consul-General for Belgium, Sydney) arrived in Wellington by the Manuka on Monday on an important mission, to New ZealandInterviewed by a Times representa,tive M. Segeart said:—“l expect to stay from two to two and a half months in New Zealand, and make a complete tour of the Dominion, visiting not only the principal towns and cities but also as many of the country districts as possible. My object is to study the resources and industries—as I hope and believe it will be possible—to improve the trade relations between Belgium and New Zealand.

HONOR FOR MR. MASSEY

The immediate cause of my coming at this time, however, is that I have been sent on a special mission by the Belgian Government to bring to Mr. Massey, your Prime Minister, the insignia of La Couronne de la Belgique (the Crown of Belgium), which His Majesty, King Albert, has been pleased to confer upon him in recognition of the magnificent war work done by the Government and the Dominion of New Zealauid, and the splendid help that the people of New Zealand afforded my country in the bad times of the war.” M. Segaert explained that the sphere of his jurisdiction as Consul-General extends over New South Wales, Queensland, and New Zealand, and he stated that it is his intention to make himself as fully acquainted as possible with the resources and industrial and trade conditions of all these countries. “I hope,” he said, “to meet during my stay here all the official organisations in the country—the city councils, chambers of commerce, and so on—and I shall ask them to interpret to the people of New Zealand the sentiments of apreciation, gratitude, and goodwill which I have to express on behalf of the people of Belgium. I expect to spend a week in Wellington and about the same in Christchurch, Dunedin and Auckland.

HIS ITINERARY

“I propose to visit Christchurch and Dunedin first, and then tour the inside of the South Island, coming back by way of Westport and Nelson to Wellington, and then going up to Auckland, seeing as much of the North Island, as I can on my way thither. As we came in this afternoon (he added) I was deeply impressed by the magnificent sight the entrance to your Wellington harbor affords, and also with the harbor installation as we disembarked. I found that everything worked most easily and efficiently. I have not yet, of course, seen anything of Wellington, except the fine panorama as we lay in the stream and came up to the wharf, but I hope to see more of your city in the course of the next few davs.

BELGIUM’S RAPID RECOVERY.

Referring to post-war reconstruction work in Belgium, M. Segaert said. “Now that 1920 is over Belgium feels herselfin about the same position, commercially and industrially that she ,was in early in 1914. We have practically com. pleted the various stages of the work of reconstruction and have recovered or replaced pretty well all the machinery that was taken away by the Germans during the war, completing the equipment of our factories by large purchases of plant, etc., in America and England. We, therefore, expect in the course of this year to present ourselves again in all the markets in which we were engaged doing good business before the war. Among these markets, New Zealand certainly held a very good place, and we are greatly interested to make a. close trade inter-change between our country and your own, because yon are producing the primary products that we want, and we can offer you in return manufactured goods which will be of use to .your country.

BELGIAN WOOL-BUYERS RETURNING.

“I am very glad to be able to tell you that Belgian wool-buyers are coming back to you. They were not on the same ship with me because of the strike on the other side, but they are coming from Melbourne as soon as possible on a cargo boat. I know, too, that since the Armistice several new Belgian agencies have been started in this country with the object both of buying the primary products of New Zealand and" selling you our own goods. We hope and believe thaf, seeing the sympathy that New Zealand always showed, and so deeply showed to our country, during the wav time, we shall have a fair deal, and be given a good’ chance on the general market. “For my part,” he said in conclusion, “I shall be glad to meet any New Zealand business men who care to call on me and to give them any information in my power on any subject they desire on both sides of the trade—that is to say, our buying from you and your buying from us.’