OUR BOATS THAT TAP MONTREAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 940, 6 October 1910, Page 4

OUR BOATS THAT TAP MONTREAL.

NEW PACTS, AND INTERESTING.

In his address, delivered Before th« Council of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce yesterday, Mr. W. Beddoe, Canadian : Trade/ Commissioner, dealt -at some . length with the new service of steamers from' Montreal to Australian "and New, Zealand/ ports. It was inaugurated, he stated, in May last, and the general mourning which - followed on the death of the late King obscured . thhj commercial event so that its. importance was to-a great extent ovorlooked. Tha establishment of the service ■ had, nevertheless, /already. been directly instrumental" in promoting a considerable expansion in- Canadian export • trade.: .Thfl first steamer ,of the service to leave Montreal was the l . Rakaia,;-:which.-sailed on! May 20 . with about half a cargo. She was followed on: June 15 by the. Whaka•tane, which - obtained .very nearly a full cargo. The Wakanui, which left in July and arrivedat Auckland: on Wednesday, took 7000: tons of cargo, of .- which... 2000were for: New- Zealand. ' The Tokomarn and the Turkestan sailed respectively : on August 13 and September 13, each- with a iulU cargo. Thus the last two boats of the subsidised service sailed each with a; full'' cargo, two days : before their advertised date of sailing. One of- them had to leave 400. tons of cargo behind, 'which was ; in. itselfa striking evidence of the growth of trade. . The . service .was - • subsidised by : the Canadian Government to the extent of .22000 a month, and under the . contract (freight'rates: were subject, to revision by the Canadian Minister of Trade and' Commerce. It was expressly provided thai in no case must rates exceed those upoa a similar .class - of goods.dispatched from: :New : York.': /./.'-:'// //'•"/:// /V-//-/v-

The position was that Canada wa« sending every month "an 8000-ton' 5 bdit to New Zealand, which had to be provided with, refrigerating, space.:: Whether". ..tha steamers obtained/cargo/or. not .they/had' to touch. at three/ New; Zealand-;' ports.. The service,: had 'not ■ yet been, much appreciated in New Zealand.. After:..being emptied, the boats were turned' looas, ana Now Zealanders lost all interest in. 1 them. //Proceeding to Australia, "the: steamers; loaded- frozen m atton, which they/- carried ,to 'London. Meantime Canada was buying:.'raw/ .materials ,' in' London,'/some ; of / which - the /"speaker thought might very well be .sent direct from New Zealand. Canada 'used hides, wool, skins, tallow, gum," and mutton...' >. Mr./Tewdey opined; that in one respect ■this--; subsidised service might- prove ■ any. thing r but a blessing /in / disguise. He "alluded ,to the provision /- under which freightswere. controlled: by tlie Canadiaa Government.lt was possible to keep them. too_ low; New Zealand .had/already had a disagreeable experience in being made a dumping-ground for goods- shipped from/other, countries: under a/similar arrangement •/•'.: {.-/■/..; / : ■ .:,/ Mr." Beddoe"rstated-;that it';.was/ partly .in'order to prevent anytking of this kind that: jwwer to freight 1 rates • t had : Seen .vested. in;the Canadian.Minister, for Trade and Commerce. . :---././::.