DIRECT STEAM SERVICE WITH SYDNEY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 70, 23 March 1903, Page 2

DIRECT STEAM SERVICE WITH SYDNEY.

DEPUT \TION TO MANAGER UNION STEAM SHIPPING COMPANY.

On Saturday, at noon, the deputation appointod by the Chamber of Commerce, Mr W. Bawley, President of the Chamber, and Mr J. G. Harkness, President of the National Dairy Association, waiiod upon Mr Morgan, the locil manager for the Union S.S. i Company, at his office, Brougham--1 street.

The deputation was accompanied, and supported by Messrs J. B. Oonnett. Ohaiiman of the Harbour Board, and Ohaiumn of the Taranaki Freezing; R, Cock, chairman O'own Diiry Oompiny; Newton King, member of the Harbour Board, and Direc or o? tho Crown Dairy Company ; J, 0. Geonre, Director Crown Diiry Company; M. DVasir, of Burgess EYasar and Cornpmy! James Paul, W. L. Newmsn, C, W. Gmtt, and W. F. Brookin*.

The deputation was very cordiilly received.

Mr Bewley, in introluciog th* deputation, briefly refeired to the object they had in view, and the consideration it had received at the hands of the Chamber of Comm >rca and the Harbour Board. Th) question was a ,most important one, and he would aek Mr Harkne-s, whose lette. 1 te the : Chamber of Commerce had led to the ' deputation, to explain the views on the subject of direct trade with Sydney, Mr Harkness said the object ho had in writing to the Chamber was to induco them to move in the of securing direct with Sydney. As the representative of the National Diiry Association, he felt I hat something should be doae to secure direct shipment from the B-eakwater for their dairy produc?, a very large proportion of which, either went to Australia for consumption there, or for transhipment to other pi ices. This would, he thought, be a cheaper course for the producers of Taranaki. At pivseat, produce was s»nt to Wellingl on, and then transhipped to Sydney, instead of being shipped direct from here. Tho import trade as well as tha export trada would a*so be benefitted, as there wera many ar icles that could be imported direct from Sydney, and thus a large swing off'Ctsd, which would bsnefit the consumers ia this district. Tho v duo of a direct service ia the int rests of the produce trade of this district, both present and prospac'iv, could not bo ovar estimated, tie considered that tha South African trad s could oe better cultivated through Sydney, If the Union S,S. Company did no! see their way to meet the psople of Taranaki, then ha thought that sone otner compiny should ba approachel. Rle advocated that people should plelge themselves to export and import by this route if it were established by the Union Company. Mr Frassr mentioned that only recently his fi'm got a large order from C3yloo, anl on this consignmeot they iad to pay 3s 6d per ton transhipping at Welliogton, and the usual chirgeof 10s 6d a ton from Wellington to the beikwatcr. If they had a dir 'ct sarvio with Sydt.ef this Ceylon tea would come in much more cheaply for all concerned. He also mentioned that ric j , pineapples, and dessicated cocoaout and other eastern produces would be imported more oheaply if t hey had such a direct service, Another i*:em that they could get io direct was bottles for fruit, as they had a splendid bottle factory at Sydney. He was {lad to see that the Harbour Board had taken the subject up, and he sincerely hoped that they would all pull together and do their utmost to get a direct service with Sydney, The Harbour Board had offered the Ui.ion S.S. Company very great conc£Ss ; oaa, suih is had never beea offered to anyone, and he felt sura that if the service was ooca established, and the improvement to the harbour contatnplatad carried out, this would soon become one of the chief ports of the colony. Mr Bewley said that owing to an oversight the Press were not fully represented at the meeting of tho Chamber of Comm sree. He regreitsd this because he felt rare the publication of the fac l s, figures and argomen's, usad by some of the speakers there } would have a most beneficial effect. Ho hoped every one present would speak freely and place as much information b-fora Mr Morgan as possible. He felt th ire was absolutely no risk of such a service not being a success. Independently of the enormous advantages of the establishment of such a eervici to tha dis--ricl, they must rem'tuber that it was lwaysthecise that tho facilities for doing business made trade, and there was every reason to believe it wou'd be so ia this imtaoce. If thiy lookel »i the enormpus extent of bick country that had its outlet her >, and the grmt productiveness of the s)il, thsy must admit th»t it only required tho necessary facilities to do an enormous trade. Th 9 establishment of direct trade wth Sydney would, he felt sure, hive tha result of enormous'y increasing thsir output.

Mr Newton King siid he with what had beea said by the previom speakers. Mr Hatkness -represon'ed the exporters while Mr Frasar reprathe importers, and that 'hay were both equilly anxious for- direct trade with Sydney was a good si;n There wag one poiaf, however, he would like to emphasis*, and that wa=t, that the steamers put on this trade mint havd rt frigerating chambets, ns fov a ' long t>m i Australia would be groaMy j dependent upon Now Zeilnd for frozen m at. The direct steamers would also be more valuable thin ever just now for tho live oat le trade, the vilui of which was entirely lost to this district bscause the cattle hid to be shipped to \ Auckland and re-shipped from there. This was mora or less a fluctuating trad j , but their butter always want to Sydney, and a steady trade ojuld be depandel upon. Begarding the South African trade, he was one of the pioneers of th-it trade; but he was sure it cou'd not be carried on successfully with only a monthly steamer, while there were weakly steamers from Australia There war.', however, many difficulties in the way of New Zealand faking advantage '■ of these steamers, and the want of a direct steamer was one of them. Tin' South African trade with New Zealand was going to be a big thing for us ; bu; it was at present spoiled because our butter was not put into tha fre ziog chamber till it got to Melbourne or Sydney. At present they were getting butter and meat ir> South Africa from New Zealand, via London, wh'ch he c jn*id«r. d a disgrace to the colony, The weekly steamers from Australia wore, in his opinion, not so likely to glut the market as tho system of monthly steamers, and the direct .service to Sydney would be a benefit tout in msny other ways. In the old day* ; wo h id a regular service with Syd.iey [Mr Newrnin : In the old days you hid to go to Sydney to get t> AuckUnd], and they were asking tho Union Oom-

pany to assist them in what he believed would become a great tradf. In tin past the Union Uompany had always met them in a fair and reasonable manner and shown commendab'e enterprise in assisting trade, to that he ftk sure they would not have to approach any o her company on tnis t ccasion. Mr Govett referred fo the question of passengers who, ho said, would prefer this rou'e on Account of its being shorter and loss dangerous than any other. He suggested, however, that return tickets should be available for any of the Union Oorapiny's ste mers, or any New Zialand port. This wou'dj be a popular route with tourists. | Mr endorsed Mr King's re-' inirks romdi'ig ihe South African trade, atd considered in po a v .o 3s alone a larg > trade would be done. If they had this line, whieh he hoped was that day beiog inaugurated, a« Mr Morgan kttovp, the e were f mr linej of steamers lowing Sydney, half empty, whijh would tike a lot of Now Znland produce. He was satisfied the moathly steamer to South Africa was no good, and he rfid not belit-vo these vice wou'd be a s.icoe-ss. The only way New. Zealand could secure her shave of the Sju-h Africm Vade was through the weekly boats from Australia, Mr 0 .'nneti, referriog to what had baen done by the Harbour Board, sud the offer made was for six months, but ho had iiO doubt: tha Board would ex tend the periol and grant any reasonable concessioos, He could only nay that he .believed the Board was prepared to do all in its power to assist the U lion Company. He endorsed what Mr Kn,' had said regarding the necessity of a refrigerator for steamers cirrying butter.

Mr W. L. Newman said he could add little to what had bean siid, beyond expressing his conviction that the service once established would ba a success,

Mr Harkne'S said, regarding the placiog of refrigentora in to* steamer.', this matter had been discussad by the National Da'ry Association, and, as president of that body, he wished Mr M Tgan to inform his company that it had t> hi done. Mr Oonnstt sa<d the direo'ars of thi 1 cil Freezing Works weie unanimously of the stme opinion, and thare was a very strong feeling that the time had come when they must insist on this necessity of tne butter trade,

Mr Morgan, in reply, said he was very much impressed with all that hid said, and would represent the views of the deputation to the directors of his eompiny. With regard to what; had been stid abiut refrigerators, he could point out that vessel?, hiving these, had bw\ running Wellington and Melbourne for yeirs, and they were hardly ever use!. His idea was, if the line was Bt-treed, that a superior cl ish of cargo boat would be us id for a time, ind, if thty had four or five sfcaam )rs running, it would make fitting them up expmsive, and, as was usual, a plight extra charge would have to be nude.

Mr King: Wo will gladly pay for it. It in mosi necessary to hiv< it. Mr Morgan svid he was glad the depuVitim had gone so full) into the mat er, and he would senl their views and the pr ss reports down to h : s he id office.

Mr King said 'ocleir up the mat\er of refrigeration, tb°y could nit take their buttsr out of tli9 fraezing works, and then allov bo thaw while going to Australia, and then freeze itagiia there. This would lose them the Sjuth Africm trade.

Mr Be vley thought thjy might ex* pecb a reduc i >n of pa'senger fares on account of tha shorter trip, whioh would inlucs a large tourist; traffic. M. Morgan said their tickets were c Jculate I on a mileage basis, and if, as was Slid, 'h* distanos was shorter, the f>vo vnuld he ha, aad he had do doubt tickets o mid be mala returnable to all por s, by payment of an exra fee. Mr Bewley then thankad Mr Morgan fo-* ihe pitieot hearing he hid given tinm, and the deputation withdrew,