COLONIAL INDUSTRIES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 29, 12 August 1871, Page 2

COLONIAL INDUSTRIES.

[lndependent, August 9.] It is essential to the successful prosecution of any industry that the raw material should be abundant and easily attainable,, and that there should be facilities for exporting the manufactured article to the best markets. Wellington has several industries, with regaid to which these essential conditions of success can be safely predicted, among which may be mentioned flax and fish. It does not say much for our enterprise that both of these industries have been successfully developed in places where the facilities we enjoy do not exist in the same degree. It is not creditable to us to read the large returns of flax exports from Middle Island ports; but it is absolutely disgraceful to see Otago preserved fish bought at a high price in our shops in Lambton Quay. Every one. who comes from the south is astonished at the great variety and abundance of the fish in our harbor, fish, too, of a quality far surpassing any known there. Carrying coals to Newcastle is a venial economic blunder, and a comparatively profitable commercial speculation compared with carrying fish to Wellington ! A favorite idea prevails in the south that Wellington seeks to draw all the good things of the Middle Island to itself, and this tendency is euphoniously characterised by the term “ Wellington proclivities.” We admit the truth of the charge, if the words “ at an enormous loss to Wellington” are added. We pay dearly for fish preserved at Port Chalmers, and see better jumping obstrusively in our harbor, as if asking to be caught. We pay dearly for Port Cooper cheese, which we should be able to buy in our shops, made at Porirua or the Hutt. We feed our W r airarapa horses on Canterbury oats, and brew our beer from Otago malt. But not only do we import what we ought to produce ; we import at second hand what we ought to import direct. There is not a steamer comes to our wharf but brings English goods imported through Dunedin or Melbourne. Commercial travellers from these places jostle each other in our streets, as they take orders for hard and soft goods, whose freight has already cost more than if landed here, and whose additional freight from these ports to Wellington is no inconsiderable increase on their original cost, not to speak at all of the intermediate profits which must ultimately be paid by the Wellington consumer. The lighterage on goods from Port Chalmers to Dunedin varies from six to eight shillings a ton, so that we have to add to the freight on Dunedin imports at least twelve shillings a ton to arrive at the expense of their transit to Wellington. We show that we are great centralists, by importing from the extremities of the colony, and our V/ellingtonproclivities are illustrated by paying the wages of the Canterbury agricultural laborers, aud making the fortunes of Otago merchants ! Is this state of things to be allowed to go on ? We hope not. There is a clear gain of at least 25 per cent, to any one who will invest the necessary capital in flax machinery in Wellington, as we could, without much difficulty show; but as we are informed the matter is likely to be soon taken up, we leave our assertion to be verified by fact. Meanwhile the other industry we referred to above, is, we understand, commenced under favorable auspices. Two wellknown citizens have found the necessary capital to establish a fishery company to supply the various kinds of fresh and preserved fish most in favor, llie fishery station is at Island Bay, where the boats and nets are kept, where are also erected a drying house and smoking house close to the beach, for preserving the fish, if caught, in small quantities. If the fish are caught in large quantities they are carted into town in drays to the central establishment, where fine drying sheds and a splendid brick smoking-room have been erected, and where all orders can be left. The fish can there be cured, pickled, saltdryed, and smoked according to order. The preserved fish will be exported to Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, and other ports. „We would suggest that the company, by opening a retail shop in some central place in the city, would meet a much felt want. It is an inexplicable lucus a nonlucendo that in such a fishteeming harbor there should be no fish shop. Our citizens who live on the

heights or terraces hear the sound of “ fish ho ” almost every morning, but it is a rare stroke of luck when their cooks manage to. overtake these very “ uncommercial” travelers. The letter of “X. Y. Z.” in agfother column is literally true, and we hope the suggestions it contains will receive attention.

It may be considered a very small matter to notice such a subject in our leading columns, but we consider nothing that adds to our comfort or convenience, or profitably employs our labor or capital, is a small matter. In a few days we shall have an addition of critics to our population. We are glad to be able to promise them better accommodation for their public duties, and several amenities to which they have been hitherto strangers in “ the wilderness of Wellington.” We are glad to see that the new conveniences they will enjoy out of colonial and civic expenditure are supplemented by new “ creature comforts” provided by private enterprise, such as gas to light them home, baths to refresh them, and the best flavored fish in the colony to minister to their palate. We hope Mr Reader Wood especially will feel the rigour of the sentence that dooms him to three months’ residence in Wellington thereby considerably alleviated.