The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 1908.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2259, 3 August 1908, Page 2

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 1908.

THE ALL-RED ROUTE. AVhilst Canadians are evidently very keen to see the AM-Red Route established and Sir Joseph AVard, on behalf of New Zealand, is assisting the movement in every way possible, it is noticeable that Australia stands aloof from the big Imperial project. In a recent interview Mr AA 7 . M. Hughes, member of the Federal Parliament, made a statement which explains very clearly the attitude of the Commonwealth in regard to the scheme. Mr Hughes was at the Imperial Conference in London when the subject was being discussed and, travelling through Canada subsequently, ho had the opportunity to acquire his information first hand.. The general idea with regard to the new scheme is that the steamers gojrig across the Atlantic should do 25 knots. Sir Thomas Shannasey, the president of the Canadian-Pacific Railway Company, told Air Hughes that the trip across Canada from ocean to ocean could bo done in four days; in fact, he said, it had been done in 80 hours. The steamers which it was understood Would take up the running from A7ancouver to Australia would be the G.P.R. Company's liners, now running across the Atlantic, which do IS knots an hour, and would have to make way for the 25-knot vessels. Mr Hughes is not in favor of the AllRed Route. Looking at it from n standpoint of sentiment he said it was a good tiling. But sentiment should not ho allowed to carry us away. Thi6 proposal was all in favor of Cauada. The new service would increase her trade, and give her the opportunity of getting immigrants from Groat Britain, in which ca6e she would be >a rival to Australia. Of course, there would be a new avenue of trade opened up by the steamers to A 7 ancouver, but the quantity of produce shipped from Australia by tho proposed ocean, greyhounds would hardly compensate the Commonwealth for the £200,000 required to subsidise the service.

Then as regards the mails. The proposed timetable set down a speed of 18 knots between Sydney and A7ancouver, but owing to the difficulties of coaling on the way, ho did not think a service could be maintained at over 10 knots. This would cut down the cstimato of time saved by the new service to only 30 hours ahead of the present one for Sydney, and make it about equal for Melbourne. New Zealand, of courso, would benefit by over a week. Anyhow, tho question of time, said Air Hughes, was not such an important one, as nearly all business was transacted nowadays by cable. It would ho far better, he thought, if tho money proposed to bo spent on tho mail service was devoted to reducing the cable rates. The All-Red route would bo no good for sending produce to London. If it was, there »-ould be some sense in spending £200,000, or even £500,000, on tho scheme. As, however, the produce will havo to go by way of the Cape or through the Canal, it would be better if some efforts were made to have the Canal duos reduced. Ho hoped that Australia would not he carried away by sentiment, but would see that it .got the fair worth of its money before it entered into any agreement to cooperate with Canada and- New Zealand. It is evident from the foregoing that- there is a vast amount of hard work ahead of those who desire to see tho All-Red Route an accomplished fact.