How Australia

"Advances”!

IN this issue there are no less than four different news articles, giving details of the manner in wffiich the Pacific Islands trade is being captured by New Zealand, mostly at the expense of Australia. We have referred to this subject on several occasions, but nothing is done, and the drift goes on.

The position is a remarkable com mentary upon the political short sightedness and commercial indiffer ence of Australia.

It is not so long ago since Sydney was the active trading centre and exchange mart for the whole of the South and Central Pacific, from the Marshalls and Carolines, in the north, to Tonga and Samoa in the south east. Lines of ships ran regularly and directly to most of the groups.

Almost all the Islands produce—and particularly copra —came to Sydney for sorting, classification and tran shipment; and payment was made in Sydney for such produce, and that payment in turn converted into goods which went back to the Islands stores and plantations. The wealth which Sydney, as a port and as a trading centre, was deriving from South Seas commerce, was huge.

Then the Sydney Harbour Trust, with the incredible fatheadedness of a certain type of officialdom, imposed port regulations which drove the copra trade away from Sydney. Angry merchants arranged direct shipments to Europe and America, and so much business left the port that the Sydney Harbour Trust hurriedly reversed its harassing regulations. But it was too late. Various other official acts as sisted in driving the Islands trade away—and no one seemed to care.

Sydney is no longer the copra ex change of the South Seas, and with that huge traffic there has also dis appeared a large proportion of the attendant trade with the South Seas.

Australia’s trade with the Islands is still large and very valuable; but in proportion to the total trade done by the Islands —which has grown enor mously in the last decade —it is only a small part of what it should be.

One would suppose that, having sacrificed so much to officialdom, Aus tralia would try to at least hold her present Islands connection. But, no!

Within recent weeks Fiji has imposed a new tariff against Australia and is diverting her trade to New Zealand; Norfolk Island is now buying in Auck land more than half of what she once bought in Australia; New Caledonia, retaliating against Australia’s un friendly tariff, has abruptly shut out Australian rice; Tonga, even now, is completing a new trade arrangement with New Zealand which will give her trade almost entirely into the hands of the enterprising Dominion.

And there has not been even one feeble protest, by Australia! Her Ministers, questioned about it, pro fess blank ignorance and indifference.

Yet, with one eye on the approaching elections, they rush about the country shouting that they are working their fingers to the bone in an endeavour to “restore Australia’s trade balance.”

An amazing country!