WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 September 1923, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES.

THE MIDLAND RAILWAY

AND WELLINGTON TRADE

[Spfxtai, To The Guardian.] WELLINGTON, Sept. K) The business men of the capital city, having looked upon the construction of the -Midland Railway with disfavour for thirty-five years, mainly, it may he supposed, on account of the menace ii offered to a lucrative part of their trade, have decided, philosophically, that after all it is not going to do them much harm. "Now that the Oiira tunned is in operation between Christchurch and Westland,” the importers committee reported to the Chamber of Commerce yesterday, "your committee has looked into the possible effect it may have upon trade already built up by Wellington merchants, and wc recommend that Wellington merchants should sec to it that West Coast storekeepers mid others do uol overlook the relative cheapness of sea carriage on most classes of goods. Owing to the railways charging by weight and the steamers by measurement it is undoubted that some classes of goods will be preferred by rail, but in general we find tlie steamer rates compare favourably, and we fool certain the bulk of the trade can be retained, and even increased by Wellington merchants if the shipping companies can provide a time-table freight service.” And so all’s well that etuis well. The competition between Wellington and Christchurch will he good for trade. VALUE OF GOODWILL. Under this heading the “Evening Rost” discusses with judicial care the suggestion of Mr A. W. Hayes, the representative of a big firm of London provision merchants now visiting the Dominion, that the compulsory clauses of the Dairy Produce Control Act may imperil the goodwill "Tooley Street” hitherto has extended towards Now Zealand butter anil cheese. "The opposite to goodwill,” il says, "is hostility. In the matter of trade this may take many forms, some of them subtle and difficult to define, hut none the less serious in the mutter of marketing any article. The hostility of “Tooley Street’ in the matter of the distribution of New Zealand produce is the very last thing that producers will wish to incur. hut iho new legislation is naturally viewed with unusual interest by provision merchants in Loudon and oilier distributing centres in Great Britain. In all trade relations, no matter whether they relate to luitier, cheese, or any other necessary commodity, goodwill is of inestimable value; it takes a long time to grow, but it can be destroyed very quickly.” lit matters of this kind the “Rost” always is troubled with philosophic doubts, but in this ease its conclusion is that any interference with the laws of supply and demand is extremely perilous. RR INCH RLE BEFORE PARTY. The reports of Mr F. .1. Rolleston’s address to his constituents, appearing in Ihe newspapers this morning have aroused a good deal of sympathetic interest here. "He found it impossible,” the summary ol the remarks of lli« member for Timarn runs, "to look at public questions front n partisan point of view tind his session's experience had convinced him of the need in the House for nten who were prepared to study questions aml think out their mi n conclusions, not blindly following a patty leader. The crying need in New Zealand at present was for men w lift would criticise freely irrespective of party, any measures they believed to he against the best interests of the Dominion. This was the course lie proposed to follow. He would not sacrifice principle for party, but would place (lie interests of the country before any party.” People who watched closely Mr Rolleston's altitude (luring the recent session of Parliament are not surprised at his revolt against party subservience and many of them mainlain that bis candour and sturdy independence did much to hasten the Prime Minister’s recognition of the fact that the rank and (ile of his parly were entitled to greater discretion and liberty than it had enioved in the pasl. THE SLUMP’S AFTER.MATH. The commercial editor of the "Dominion” gives some particulars of the bankruptcies registered in Now Zealand since the “slump” descended upon the country which tell a sad story of hlighletl hopes and disappointed effort. It: the first eight months of HEM there were 200 bankruptcies, in the corresponding period of 1022 100. and in the corresponding period this year 441. Though the figures for 1020 are smaller than those for 1022 they still are more than twice as large as those for 1021. Farmers continue to yield the biggest crop of bankrupts, their contribution being 17 last month, as compared with 110 in August last year. For the eight months the insolvencies of farmers numbered HO. as compared with 135 in the corresponding eight months of last year. Of the 114 bankruptcies registered for the eight months this year, the folliwing trades or professions were the principal contributors: —Fanners. 110; labourers, 3(5; motor trade, 23; builders, IS; commercial agents, 14; hotelkeepers, 13; The men on the land, it will he seen, niade up one quarter of the insolvencies. Of course the failure of many of the soldier settlors to make good has swollen the farmers total, but ii is hoped the legislation of hist session will very materinllv lessen this class of disaster.