EFFECT ON THE TOURIST TRAFFIC.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 635, 12 October 1909, Page 6

EFFECT ON THE TOURIST TRAFFIC.

Statement, ;.by' tee Auckland ; •• : '.■ '• '•• -."'■ .'AGENTS. ' ' (By Teleffitaph-Press Association. ~ ■_■• ■■-.- ';:*'■ ..- ' Auckland, October 11. ir Zealand .'manager for Messrs. Thos.. Cook and Son, interviewed today, said the P: : and 0. extension of service would be,of very considerable value to Auckland. ..Although all four' Suez lines j.were running bn.a fixed tariff of fares, there was naturally ""consideiabb competition for Australasian business. ' The Norddeutscher Lloyd were getting ah increased hold on oversea traffic between -Australia and Europe, as ur other parts of the world. Then tho Orient .Company, with, its magnificent new 12,000-ton steamers just introduced, were catering well for passenger bookings. Comparatively recently this company,extended its service from Sydney on to Brisbane,' and probably-tho proposal on the part of the- J?., and-.0.--Company was for experimental, business purposes. If this through service'from England were permanently established-; the advantage to the tourist traffic of the '•, Dominion would bo great. A very,' large ('proportion of...passengers ex , Suez steamers come , no,-further than Australia,' arid extend their route from Sydney outwards' via China, Japan, America, etc., without coming on to. New Zealand. The transhipment into smaller intercolonial steamers-was naturally a disadvantage, compared with the comfort of coming right,on to Auckland by aP. and 0. liner-to visit New Zealand's famous : thermal districts and; other resorts. Of course, from a mail servke view this extension would be of no value/but.from the tourist traffic point alone it was sincerely/ to be hoped the experiment ■would turn- out successfully,! although Mr. Angus feared-it would prove otherwise from the company's point-of view,,-unless, supplemented to. some extent by Government subsidy. .- . . ... . - .The local agents for the P.'and 'O. line Messrs. Russell and'Somers, aTe in.receipt of cable, advice's from the company's Sydney office confirming the press, cable. The February steamer will be the new s.s. ■ Malwa .'(11,000 tons), the March steamer the s.s.- Mongolia (10,000 tons), and the April steamer the new 8.8. Moreo (11,000 tons). The vessels would pick up passengers and possibly cargo' at Auckland thereby saving transhipment rates. Th? P. and O. Company, by their enterprise; would no doubt , get-a greater share of the patronage of the general public than in the past for the necessity of transhipment, -was a. great annoyance" to most .travellers. According , to Mr. Eussell, the various lines trading to Australia have given serious consideration to tho question of extending their - lines. to New Zealand, but something'aiways stood"in the way until now, when the , P.'ond'O. Company has taken the ■ initiative. "It is- hoped," continued Mr. Eussell," "that .'this will be the'forerunner ■of a , regular connection." , ■ ...