SYDNEY THE MIGHTY.

Shannon News, 3 July 1928, Page 2

SYDNEY THE MIGHTY.

BUSINESS ON THE GRAND SCALE

LEVIN VISITOR'S- IMPRESSIONS.

The impressions which Australia and particularly Sydney leave on a traveller's mind* formed the basis of an address delivered before the Levin Chamber of Commerce Lunch Club at its monthly gathering in the Oxford Rooms on Friday, by Mr K. Aitke'n, who recently returned from a trip to the Commonwealth. The lunch, which was presided over, bv Mr "K. G. Kerslake, was well attended, and Mr Aitken's remarks were followed with much interest. After announcing apologies for absence from Messrs E. S. Crisp and G. Wise, the chairman welcomed new guests in Messrs T. H. Johnson, P. Meyers and S. Hall. He remarked that the Lunch Club was probably, the only institution in Levin that flourished without a lot of boosting and financI ing. It flourished because it had vir- ! tues of its own; it gave business men an opportunity of nieetinig together and getting to' understand each other, and for that reason it should be encouraged. Referring to the speaker for the day, the chairman said that he did not need much introduction. The chairman added that he had had the pleasure of being in Sydney when Mr Aitken was there, and knew that their g Ues fj|afcd of interest In openinefe his Address, the subject of which wjJI "Some Impressions of Sydney," Mr Aitken stated that his recent trip to Australia had provided him with some striking contracts, because he had not seen Sydney for 20 years. He went on this occasion for a holiday, not taking notice of any particular features of Australia, but gaining some general impressions. In the time of half an hour allowed for a Lunch Club address he could not possiblv do justice to the subject, and would confine his remarks to matters that would interest business men,, such as modern methods of retailing, . the general equipment of stores, and so on. One gentleman had jocularly asked if he was going to give night-time impressions of Sydney. Unfortunately many people had,what he characterised as a sham inipression o f the city, implying that it had a bad reputation; but these Avere 'generally people' who had not been there. Every big city had its dark side. "I want you to, eome with me to-day," he explained, "to a Sydney that is beautiful in every sense of the word. Many of you know the "beauties of Sydney Harbour and its lovely garden surroundings. The city is congested, undoubtedly, at present; but the aspect is nevertheless beautiful. The place is bathed in wonderful sunshine, and it is an ideal haven for visitors, from whatever part of the world they may come."

CONGESTION A PRESSING

PROBLEM.

The best time to go to Sydney, Mr Aitken continued, was at ; Easter, because the weather was at its best then and a great many attractions were arranged, such as the Royal Agricultural Show and the races at Randwick. "Harbour" was virtually the second name of Sydney. The great bridge which was being built across the harbour at Milson's Point was illustrated by' the snapshots, which he handed round to those present. What had struck him most was the vast amount of ground secured for the city -approach to the bridge. On the North Shore side the general shopping area would be vastly improved by the opening of the bridge, and the land must appreciate greatly in value. Everyone hoped 'that the bridge would' solve the problem of congestion, buj; he believed that in 12 or 15 years the problem would be just as acute as it was now, and the only solution he could see >vas to do away with the Botanical Gardens and Hyde Park. Notwithstanding the underground railway he believed that, unfortunnately, the greater portion, of those grounds was doomed. Mr Aitken described the enterprise of Sydney journalism, and mentioned as an instance of it the fact that the "Sun" newspaper, by means of an electric hoarding, 150 feet in width, over the top of its great building, .flashed out letter by letter the latest news of the night, thus supplementing its up-to-the-minute news service of the day. MODERN STOREKEEPING. Referring to store-keeping features, Mr Aitken described David Jones' establishment, covering four or five acres of-'-ground. This emporium had impressed him as representing the last w v ord in equipment. Three of the walls had show Avindows, running their full width, and the fourth wall carried *ecen or eight electric lifts for taking passengers to the various floors. At each floor there was a man corresponding to each lift, to control the traffic. Inside, everything was displayed, nothing in the way of bulk packages being visible. Altogether Jones's struck him as being the most up-to-date of Sydney 's business establishments. As a booKseller he had particularly noticed the relatively small number of bookshops in Sydney. It seemed that New Zealand had a considerably greater number of bookshops in proportion to the population. Evidently, owing to the great amount of outdoor life in Australia, there was not so much bookreading as in this country, but nevertheless the people were great readers of magazines and newspapers. In a Sydney chemist's shop Mr Aitken had noticed, on a docket, that the firm had 37 branches. The underlying basia was population. On returning he felt as though the people on this side were merely playing at business, because of the contrast. The utilising of space was another striking thing. There seemed to be almost as many people buying and eating and drinking underground as on the surface, owing to the great use made of basements. Nine out of ten packets of cigarettes were bought a? places commonly known in-

dividually as "a hole in the wall," generally a portion of a doorway let to a vendor by a shopkeeper and equipped with a few shelves. This made for quick service, and was certainly a great convenience. It was peculiar that it was difficult to get a satisfying cup of tea in Sydney although nearly every,.other shop was a place of refreshment.;! He witnessed the Hospital,Day, Carnival, which was run by a large band of workers. ' Specialisation was a noticeable feature in this connection, different stalls, with wheels of chance, being, devoted to particular articles. Speaking in regard to service Mr Aitken said the best indication of this which he had experienced was at the Capitol Theatre. He was late and had not booked a seat, but, although the theatre was crowded, he felt, when an attendant approached him, that he was about the only person in.the theatre, for the attendant said, "I won't keep you very long. There will be a seat for you presently." QUICK SERVICE EMPORIUM IN • MELBOURNE. The business that appealed to him most was in Melbourne, being Cole's two stores, selling articles at' from 6d to- 2s 6d. There were only about five prices in these store. They were doing wonderful business, and he understood that their takings were in 'some cases as much.as £SOOO a day. The lay-out was remarkable,. with plate-glass partitions and fixtures. Apparently cheap yet efficient labour was employed, bat *:he work of the attendants was not difficult. The purchaser would pick up ah article of a certain value and hand it to the assistant, who would drop it in a bag, and so there was no waste of time, and the turnover was consequently rapid.

IN THE COUNTRY.

The Australian railways had no great advantage over those of New Zealand. A person travelling first class obtained very good treatment and accommodation, but a second-class passenger did not receive much, consideration. Mr Aitken made some cogent remarks on the smaller towns of Australia. Although there had been an interval of 20 years between his visits, the only difference he had noticed about Castlemaine (Victoria) was that there were fewer hotels than on his first visit, the number having decreased from 49 to 43. If anything, the -town looked deader than it had done on the first occasion. The Australian small town was not worth mentioning. When the traveller had seen one, he had seen them all. There was not a suggestion of progress about" them. The redeeming feature of the inland trip was that when • one returned to New Zealand he keenly appreciated the scenery and the progressive country towns of his own land. On the motion of Mr J. W. Gibson, a hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mr Aitken for his interesting address. The chairman . made ■ an appeal to those present to support the Chamber of Commerce, whose meetings had been languishing. He extended an invitation to all those who did not generally attend the Chamber to be present at the annual meeting, where the future of the organisation would be considered.