MAIN TRUNK INFLUENCES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 644, 22 October 1909, Page 3

MAIN TRUNK INFLUENCES.

\;;---f;;:.:: j :-:>V; 1 ;:-..,\.^;-j ; | ' POUT OF ONEHUNGA DEAD; ' • : ' ;:|i TiIADE CONDITIONS ON THE LINB. [ ; ' 15 (By TelegrSph.'-Special 'Obrrcs'pdndcnt.l. '■ !\i - , . Auckland, pctbbor.2l. ; H Although there is. still a 'good shipping trad* •■ ■, lo nud from,; thr. Manukan, the Jlflin Trunk '"■;';[, lino huiiundoub'tedly seriously affected the port,. ;'■»: of pnehmiga, esixscially in the case of tho' r'f Union iCompany,; whoM rcd-fmmcled'vcesols'aro' it not much in eyidonco there now. last Mou- ; ls day for the. first time in thirteen years the 4 assintant turncock, Mr. A. Hunt, of OnehunHa,'".'•.■'■'.' visited.the wharf without haring to eupply , : .f; wator to a single ship in port' . ■. ~'..■ ,'■'■' "What has becii the effect of th« opening of .:• "•: the Main Trunk service on local, trade?" was'■...: S the, question put lb several business men by a'.,. ; --'i' reporter this week. The. general'answer was ,"; 3! that an improvement had been uoticed, but it .'J was not yet of such a charatter as it woiilU ' J be when the service was older and moro sefc- ' : '.'■ tied. i- , .-;--;.^' .■-.■'.■■ ■ ,■ .:...■.■..,■■•.■.,.?.;■'■ ; ."It ib like this," said one informant who is * extensively intoree'ted in the wholesale.prori- ,V'.! eion trade, "in our line the profits ere so small '" :„■? that the question ie ruled by tie faeight'. , t; charges. We can go!a certain, distance down ..ti south and make'a profit, but beyond that our '.;! profits would be swallowed np"by tho'.fnnght ' .5 churgcs. The same remark applies to the Wcl- " :"' liugton peoplo, so that there has come to boa . I': half-way which oitlier fej side cannot safely to." • "Mind yoo," continued 'H this gentleman, ''the opening of the service has' ;% effected some improvement, but as the' lino waa> I' advanced south, onr business was pushed along • ,'jj. with it, and ( so, when the .last section was' . ' opened, we had .really already seenred tha 4 \'';. district. Practically the only advantage of the line has been to make things more oxpcditioui J .'■;'-{ ! and convenient."'';.;; ..'• ■■.;■'•'•■■ ".-■■■ -'•;. ■.': ■ ■} • ','.'j '~ Another,business manji interested in tho coaii; S trade, exprcßscdsimilar views,. He stated that* -"■ '■>■ tho opening of the'service had enabled hie cqm» j> panv'to securb. 69ine share;.of.'the BoutheraJ; « trade, but not to:the extent popolarly eup-"..5 posed. The .freight charges ate too much into 1 ' '« profits, said He, especially when-it was consi(i-r ;■: ered that the eouthern coil mines, being nraclij :;. nearer ;the southern markets, were.able to place \ •,'> their, coiil before the public much' moro cheaply. {It 1 ;' ■. One of the heads: of a'well-lcnown-soft goods warehouse was, however, very optimistic as to ' ■ ] the advantages.of: the service to Auckland. "In. ■' :-V----our line," he, "freight does not; havo much v ; -i bearing on the case,, and. we-are'.'consequently;.;!;"fj now- able to pueh"our goods - against'thesouthv l i; erriers in their own territory; But tho pririci- '< I,f ? pal advnhfego of:the service is that, if enabled soutlietn buyers to come: up and in> 'V) spect our; lines hero, and this its being largely v .v availed.of.:'■ Hitherto a Dian did not ,: J Kaci a rough steamship,journey -tojjot to Aock.' i;:* land, but travelling By rail: is different,' and ii'( f in conseqiionco thedocal houses' engaged in oui..'■f ..'?* line of business have secured a material ad- "r* :vantage." ■ >'. ■■*■■■ •:■■■■' >■+■•- • ■'■'■ .■■<■■ ■■ ■• V, 1 ■'■■:-:'; ,:■■', -! ; v v