MR. DUTHIE ABROAD.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 572, 29 July 1909, Page 6

MR. DUTHIE ABROAD.

THE TONGA TRADE. SYDNEY IMPRESSIONS. AS OTHERS SEE US. Mr. John Dutlrio roturned to Wellington b\ tho Wnrnmoo josterdaj from a trip to Auckland, I'iji, Tonga, Simon, and Sjdiio\ 'I'lio tup occupied about live nooks, and included ten days in Sydney Questioned a DoviMor* rcportci as to the trudfl ol tho lskmds ol thu "A ostein Pacific, Mi. Dullno h.ud Hut the bliMinoi ■Tofu.i (1000 tons) carried a lank lull eaigo of gencul meirhaudiM l from Auckland, iikhl of it \\a& (01 Tonga, but (hero was somo foi Samoa, and a smalloi portion for Fiji Ho was amazed at tho quantiU of cargo which tho steamer picked up at the vinous island ports Copra bulked nioit largely in those shipments, but there was also a considerable quantity of bananas and othei fiuits consigned from Fiji to Sjdnej. There was, too, a largo iniei-islaud traffic, sc\oial hundreds of natives proceeding from port to port as deck passengers

Auckland and Wellington. "Evidently, ,, continued Mr. Duthie, "tho trado of tho Tongnn group , is almost entirely , confined 1 .to.'Auckland, arid that port also has a fair share of the trade of .Apia, but wo did hot carry much trade forFiii. That may be accounted for by tho goods being shipped by the. direct/Fiji' steamers which leave Auckland once a month. The larger share of tho Fiji trade, however, goes to Sydney." 'And : what are tho condition and prospects of trade betwe6n Wellington and the islands you visited ? ■-'■.' "I> think that, such a trade taken by itself aJuld' buly be'done; by establishing agencies or by an exchange of goods with those;engaged,in .the island.■ trado.- .Unless some traders make a , speciality of fit, not much of the trade will come this way.

- : ';- "'',-V, Island Products.■•".-, ■•.••' Although copra, which was taken aboard tUe f Tofua qit:all.tiie.islarids,,,appearodtpform a' .very.'large: proportion -of.their '.exnqrts, Mr. Duthie was iriipressed ,by the capabilities in respect of.other products. Ho remarked that; tea. iand: rubber had been , tried, but probably the expense of coolie labour would prevent any coinmercially-succossful cultiyation of these. products. '.Tapioca, and vari-. 'oils.'kinds"o'f fruits were, however,-'among tho exports; ;while' the' ;sugar; exports' of' Fiji to Australasia:and Vancouver,, arid lierbhhanaVplantaiioris,-' which ■ found their; market in Australia,;, were, ,of -courso,; well, .known: , Iri regard, to tho ■coolie-labour j it , -was-.not tho. rate of ,-wagei thaVmade it cxp'eiisivo,so niuclr as: the .cost, of the passages, f rorn,.' and to india,.'which be paid by the emplbyefs.'; ■ : ; ;, •'. ' - - •■'•" : •-■■ : ., '(' ■ .:-;;■'■-;;■..'.■, Affairs./;;;: ■"-. ; v ;;. ;.. ~ Did : you,-.while l in F.iji, - hear ■■> anything of the. mbyeihent for- federation with 'New 'Lea.l|ind.'".'--;'.':';",; ,'.'■'.'•. ■'/■'■■ ■.'■•,-.. '-■-■■ ■.■■'■«.";■■■. .v'-vi-■ : "The :people : that I; met did not so'much as once mention, the idea. : Evidently"it is quite dead. '.They seem to be pretty' well satisfiedi-with.-'the .present/system of government by-'the High' Commissioner and his council of ten,i three' of whom , are elected by. the'.iluropeansi' The public dobt; ; pf; the colony is. approximately only £1 per-.head, •and consequently taxation is merely nominal, i. And;.fedcratipn; with the ..Commonwealth? .'.'l : don't "think the people Fiji want it. They'thiuk-they arO'better off'.asCthey are." , '-,'.;.••;' :;;./,''...;.-, /. . ■■~?}.'..■'£'■"{. '■ ; .'•.■■.■■':■!.'.■..■■,...'.'..-./Prosperous ;';".;_ Duthie's'..impressions;.of ; trade'/in. Sydney..: went io; confirm what ..has. already , been reported of the' present prosperity ofv Australia,: He'was; rather 'gratified- ; to/iibtice at Sydney, a..'great: airof ! hustle, push';, arid activity;'.such as .'was. formerly 1 regarded as. the special characteristic: of 'Mel.bourne. ■ "All the drapery establishments," he.'smilingly'.obsbrved, "wero , holding tbeir annual-.sales,, to tho great gratification .* of our; lady passengers. l ' "I. did; .not- trace --any special vrbasori^fbr I ''the "of trade-in; Sydney,,- and :I. thereforb supposed ib."was mainly :attributable to ■the.:general prosperity-of y-Australia.-/ ■. ■' ■'.'■: .■■.■'<.

r'-''! : >-^'' ~.'■''■;■'■'.W.oei, for.da'pah, •] - "There is; s 'however, one'.intereiting ■'feature,'; which ; 'has'developed largely;, of '■ late; , .* ho. continued, "and that is: the export, of wool to Japan.' That:country. now regularly sends :buyers, to, the , .: Australian wool markets. It shows that thq s Japanoso textile industries are; by ..no"iinearis; confined .any longer .td, cotton,',and..; that V. their;' ■ ' woollen, manufactures are assuming';important dimensions.". .-■. "■■':';■:'■. ..■'■•'•.'.' ~'.'... . Mr.'.. Duthie-declined' ,to:; 'express ' any opinion as. to; the'probability, ;or. otherwise, of the' Japanese .woolbuyers extending their oiJoi'atioiisto this, countr}', but-ho intimated that the. growing .'demand, for wool in...that partof; the'.world 'must, /necessarily ~-be j a matter of. interest to New Zealand producers., . He learnt.while tha;t.there',was a .pronounced ■ glut ;ih sheep, in 'New South' Wales. The. .meat.■...companies were , unable to increase, their .demand, and the London marked was said.to be fu11.'.,,. ."There was.a good deal of building going on in Sydney itself,'.', continued.Mr. Duthie, "but, oven , more in the suburbs,;■ where, a great many' men seemed to '.bo employed- on public', works,.' opening up streets '.and the like. .It .was^.reported,-in the papers .that there was a procession of the unemployed numbering 200,, but when. I, saw' the procession in Pitt'Street, it, consisted 'of only about 50 or 60. They' were carrying the usual banners inscribed-'We Want /Work; , and so forth,; but they did hot strike, me as as very likely-looking lot rff. men. ' I should think they belonged rather' to the unemployable." •: v..'. '. ■]"■ i : ; : .':,.•;'. .'•■'•.:.. . Non-Political Railways. . Mr.. Duthie was very mucK impressed .by the satisfactory administration, or'the'.railways of New South, . Wales, ■'■■■ under'.•nonpolitical control. "The mercantile community, were ;,very ; "well, satisfied' with' the,.m'ahagement 1 of the railways," .he.'saitl. ,"I was informed ; that tho,lines were fully meeting the calls made, upon them :by. the travelling public, and by the commercial and producing interests, and were not merely paying, their way "but also showing" a. fair margin, of profit -alter'.'inakihg' ; propoi\' •'.allowance'"', for wear and tear. /These results, speak -highly for the system in force, and-give us in, New Zealaid ample material for serious thought." .•" '■ : ■' ■':- '■■ ■• .' ■• ■ ■ ■•''■'■. i '.. V.•'■ ■■■ -•. New Zealand's Ills Exaggerated.

What were business people in' Sydney .'saying about present conditions in New. Zealand ? "I found that they had an" unduly, adverse opinion. . Telegrams were appearing in,the 'Sydney; papers'reporting that there were estimated to be. abdut' 2000, unemployed '. in ■ \Vellihgton. I bought to .explain, when I: had opportunities among the people I met, that any surplusage of; labour in. : Wellington was largely due'tti men being attracted herd by Government offers, and that , 'the .state of affairs had , been exaggerated! I found, that in'mercantile circles there was an exaggerated idea of our public debt arid the depression in. our trade.. 'I think our. newspapers are to a.'very, large extent responsible for this; .Our press makes'far too much of the.'uriemploymont question, arid the press of Australia bases its;yiews on the reports in pur papers'." Mr.- Duthie;added that-the,trip, was from first to last-a thoroughly erijdyablp one. Captain- Holfordj' of the Tofua, exerted himself to make the voyage as interesting as possible; ,He;provided boats and launches at' Vavalau to enable the passongors to' visit the wonderful, caves in. that; vicinity,. and made, slight deviatidns -from the regular -course : of -the voyage to give them an opportunity of seeing different remarkable sights. ■ • ,