VICE-REGAL TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 806, 2 May 1910, Page 7

VICE-REGAL TRADE.

AUCKLAND TEARS:

(By Tolceraph.— Special Correspondent.) Auckland, May 1. , The "Government House Steal," as the "Star" calls it, is still the su-bjeot . of agitation by that, paper. 'In its latest issue 'it 'states this' morning:*A "Star" representative, . in -the aourse of conversation with several prominent' business men., gathered that is a very strong fec-ling against the action of the Government injemov- . mg the official residence of tho Governor from Auckland, on the score of loss - of. trade. One proprietor of a . . wholesale firm- estimated 'that the - removal of _ the vice-regal residence would mean a loss to . Auckland tradespeople . Sf L sove , ra !. thousand pounds;:per~ year. There has never been any fixed time during which Government: House has . been in occupation, but as a rule caoh year'the Governor has put in a more . or less lengthy stay,, and the last two reprjsentatives-. of his, Majesty , in NonZealand. have ' each shown a particu- , iarly. warm appreciation'' of the pleas- . Auckland : as a'. residential c«.V- . The presence of ~ the rioe-regal party -naturally .'means the cixculat'ion ' n ? o . llo y.among the tradespeople. : Ike visit of the Governor and his retmue to Auckland has meant, an annual expenditure of hundreds of pounds with my firm," declared tie head'of a leading grcwery establishment. "We stock certain lanes of goods purely to mce>t Government House demands,! and the removal of the official residence of wo. Governor from Auckland is gWg to mean a very, considerable loss to trade generally-in this city." "The expenditure among' business people following on the' occupation' of ' Government House can certainly - be P uov,-ji at several thousands . per. year, remarked a well-known Queen Street draper, "and it will be hard to gauge the actual loss to trade which will result if the vice-regal residence.in Auckland is olosed. Compared with Wellington, there is practically no 'soSTx w Auckland. The 'fact that Wellington is the seat of Govern- ™ 6? 'i, an 6F ©rything is oe-ntral-there, means that there 'is a . greater round of social events. It is •only when the vice-regal residence is in occupation' that we have anything of the kind to speak of here. A' State ban means that we are kept working early and late, hardly , able to cope with the orders, and the presence of the p ? rty glVos a stimulus to tho better class of trade generally. For ' a "J 5, Auckland's size there i« . a remarkably small domand for tho gowns and toigene which the fair sex love to display at important ceremonial func--.bons. Take away Government House, a»d theneea for such an expenditure goes entirely, and that of oourso means b loss to trade." , 1 . R^resentatives .of every other class ■of trade a»d business protested in the same way, maintaining that, apart from the more serious question of closing Government, Houso and alienating the beautiful grounds which surround it, the loss to Auckland, business people is no small item, and constitutes another reason for vigorous publio action.

PUBLIC MEETING TO BE HELD.

(By TelecraDn.— Press Association.) ■» .1 .i * Auckland, April 30. A deputation citizejis waited' on the Mayor and tho Mayor-elect to-day, and asked tho Mayor to convene a public meeting to permit an expression of opinion on the action of the Government in dismantling Government Mouso. It was stated that strong feeling, amounting to indignation, prevailed in Auckland, and it was-urged that even if a university site was re- ( quired it should not be secured at the expense of such an institution as Government House. Mr. Grey and Mr Bagnell expressed themselves as beine m accord with these views, and it was agreed to convene a public meeting for «iext week.