ABSTRACT
In New Zealand there is a growing disposition to buy certain articles made in America, but the bulk of the trade is at the moment in British hands, and any preference New Zealand might give us could hardly affect or divert the present currents of trade. In this connection it is important always to remember that the purchase of goods by the lower middle and artisan classes is more or less of an effort and a strain. National control of the railways, the resuscitation of the canal system, an Act of Parliament declaring all subsidised shipping lines to be "common carriers," thereby precluding preferential freight rates, are all urgently required. A more alert consular service in more vital contact with commercial developments is also a pressing necessity.
