ISLANDS STEAMER SERVICE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1984, 14 February 1914, Page 6

ISLANDS STEAMER SERVICE.

t »— J . TRADE STATISTICS OF RIVAL PORTS. a . 3 . f AUCKLAND AND WELLINGTON. r r UJy Tclpffrapli—ProES Association.) , Auckland, February 13. The position that arises in connection with, the proposed alteration of tho running of the Island boats by tho Union steam Ship Co. came up for discussion at a meeting of tho Chamber of C-om-mc-rco this afternoon. Tho alterations efk'pted under tho new time-tables, and j their }>tohabio effect on trade,. wore clearly set out in communications -to 7 tho chamber by Mr- A. Miller, who j stated, inter alia, that Tonga imported 1 last year just under £200,000 worth of . goods, and of this nearly £100,000 Worth , came from New Zealand. Of tho j balance, about £43,000 worth come from r Sydnejy and tho remainder represented j direct importation from Home. Of the [ goods from New Zealand £62,794 was i. New Zealand produce., and, tho balance , represented foreign goods, on which tho r merchants of Auckland naturally made . a profit. Tho imports into New Zea~ . land from Tonga last year amounted . to only £14,514.' This was small owing . to tho effect of tho disastrous hurricane the previous year. t /With the now running, Auckland hav- . ing lost tho advantage of being in s closer proximity to Tonga than Sydney, , most of this-trade will go to Sydney, J especially as it is- now practiealiy im- [ possible for Tonga to send its fruit to ; New Zealand. Thirteen days is too long , for th® bananas to bo on tho steamer, ( besides which Fiji bananas would arrive . at the same ti.mo, and thereby spoil tho t market for tho Tonga.n. fruit., All the I advantages Auckland, formerly po-ssess- | ed over Sydney havo been entirely re . moved through tho action ef tho Union ; Steam Ship Company. i . In a further' communication travcrs- , ing the resolution of tho Wellington i Fruit Brokers' Association, Mr. Millar [ pointed out that tho southern markets ''cannot take the quantity'of fruit that Auckland can, Wellington has a faster [ and better service with Rarotonga. than ; Auckland has, yet in 1912 tho value of j the Auckland importations from the Cook Island group woro £60,877; Wci- ! lington's totalled £19,544; and Clxrist- , church and Dunedin totalled £11,891 and £11,125 respectively. As regards tho . exports to tho Cook Islands and Tahiti, , th 6 exports from Auckland woro £61,043, while those from Wellington totalled . £6562-, and of these exports from WelL lingfon both the Cook Islands and tho Tahitian Groups, a Jot were bought and paid fcr .by Auckland merchants. Tho service has been running to Wellington for seyeral years, besides which they have had direct communication "with the Fiji Group. Tho exports from Auckland to-Fiji amounted to £77,948, and from Wellington £2277, while tho importations to Auckland from Fiji amounted to £728,340, and Wellington £1681. These figures speak for themselves. Tho president said that tho imports from Tonga, owing to unforeseen circumstances, had fallen off, but • tho ' volume of exports from Auckland has remained the same. Tiiero was no reason for the change.Mr._ Gaudin: It's rather curious that the Union' Company should havo approached tho' Wellington Chamber of ; Commerce, instead «f this. body. It shows a weakness of tlieir case. ■ A deputation of three was appointed to wait- upo-n tho local manager of .the IJ.S.S.. Co. to gather all possible in- , formation about tho matter. AUCKLAND. PRESS- COMMENT.. (By (Ceteßrapii.— Special Oojrcspo"nd.cflU Auckland, February 13. Th-ft .attitude of the- .Wellington fruit, brokers over tho island services' has stirred up tho Auckland Chamber of Commerce, which ■ had a statement put ■ bffore it-to-day.-by 'Mr. A. Miller. The position is dealt 1 with 'by the "Star" as follows:— 1 Union Company, presumably with a. view to. gaining some southern ' support for tho new arratigetocnts, has provided that the monthly steamer should maka Wellington a second port ' of call, instead of leaving Auckland tho ; terminal port, as wjtji tho monthly ser- ' vica maintained by the. Tofua and Atua.. Iho matter has been brought under the notico of tho Wellington Chamber* of • Commerce, and tho Wellington Fruit ; Brokers' Association, and the latter ; body,'wJulo'acknowledging that a fruit trade cannot- be promoted with Tonga under tho new service, loudly calls for ; Wellington'as'tho.first port of call. ( With 't-liat utt-or'disregard of. facts and any interests outside .their own minor ■ trade, tho association say? Wo: aro | afraid that very -lifct.lfj export business i to Tonga from Wellington can . take place,; and if in- tho past Auckland, witlj a four-day direct service, cannot successfully compete with Sydnoy, with (i thirteen or fo-urteon-days' trip to th.o Friendly Islands, then we feel that tho Sydney market must offer, distinct advantages to'tho Island .mercliants and traders which are not possessed, by New Zealand. . . . • "This," continues the "Star," "is a phase of tho trade that wo need -not give any deep consideration to. .Tho letter of Mr. Millar to the Auckland Chamber puts the 'relative positions of Auckland and Wellington in th<? Island trade clearly (hero tho '.'Star" quotes the statistics referred to, in the above Press. Association telegrami. . > . As regards the assertion that Auckland is not able to lwkl its own in the Friendly Islands' trade, the disproof is found in the fact that of the total imparts of under £2.00,000 into the- group in 1912, approximately £100,000 was from Auckland, Wellinp'ton indifference is not to be ■wondered at, and the Union Company's move is not without astuteness. - With tho Samoau and Fiji Groups,' Auckland will suffer mflro ill tho removal of the superior passenger connection than . in the . carrying trade, for there will be no such disparity in ilif times of old and new services as will be the case with Tonga, but anyone who has road tho Rasseniter lists of the Atua and Tofna through the winter months will recognise that the tourist traffic they promoted was b.v no means a negligible quantity. This 1 is a matter that should receive the. prompt attention of tho Government, and any pressure that can bo brought to near on tho Union Comnaiiy should be. ■ promptly exerted. The 'fmestion is not one of Auckland or Wellinp'ton 1 interests, but of the sacrifice of a Dominion. trade.