AN AUCKLAND ON MELBOURNE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 95, 25 April 1891, Page 3 (Supplement)

AN AUCKLAND ON MELBOURNE.

[By Waitemata.]

I promised to send you some jottings on ray trip to Melbourne, and concerning things that struck me mosb forcibly in Victoria. There is indeed a vast difference between New Zealand and Victoria, nor B hould the comparison bo always odious to New Zealaad. No, if told the truth must be, your little island home comes out of the comparison only too often with credit. While I am sensible of tho wealth and magnificence of Melbourne, I am also sensible of things greatly to her disadvantage, and thab are as foreign to Aucldandors as they would be unwelcome were they introduced into their midsb. On the otherhand, with many things Xew Zealandera might profit by hearing from an impartial observer how some things are managed, and the true state of affairs here, espocially those who think if they once get on Australian soil they say good-bye to depression, or can just step into a billet.

To the business man with wares to sell in this market, the fashionable lady, and others, I shall "have a tale to tell, oh." So if they nofc only reply " bell me your tale, oh," bub reflect upon my tale, they will find, did they but alter a few things that retard their progress, they could, ay, and others would, sing of their ciby what the king in the " Gondoliers " sings of his position, "For the pleasures they are many and tho troubles they are none." In the Toils of the Custom-house. One morning at four o'clock the steamer entered the Yarra. I arose to get my first glimpse of Melbourne By six o'clock the steamer was berthed alongside the wharf, where all was quiet till eight, when breakfast was announced. Breakfast over, all was excitement, Customs oflicors searching passengers' luggage. Tho ship's officers were stationed so as to keep carriers off the sfaipfcill called byownersof luggage and then they are allowed to take it. You have no idea how sharp these carriers are tc get a job, a perfect horde hang round the ship till the last passenger haa left, so eager are they for work. When I moved to the gangway no less than 50 men and boys pressed forward with "Cab sir,' , "Luggage, sir." Here, and in this way, the New Zealander gets his first insight into the sharpness of the competition in Melbourne. The Customs seem so much on the alerb you would think smuggling was almost an impossibility. Notwithstanding all their exertions it is carried on to a very large extent, only a few cases here and there being detected. A case in pomb is a stewardess on the Valetta, who was caught red-handed when trying to smuggle Maltese lace into Melbourne, and was fined three times its value and costs, besides having to forfeit the lace. A well-known modiste, who keeps a shop in Collins-3treet, was mulcted in similar fines.

Ib is no uncommon thing to catch the bland Celestial with 1,000 and 7,000 cigars hid about his person. Others engage cabs, which are stopped and overhauled ; very often large " finds " are made in this way. The duties are high here, hence this excessive smuggling, for it is excessive, dozens of petty cases going undetected. If anyone wishes to bring a second-hand piano or sewing machine from New Zealand, he will find on arrival here that nearly half its value must be paid in Customs duties.

One nighb when strolling through the town, I saw some Lascars being run in by the police, amidst great commotion, for coming on shore with a little stock of contraband goods in their turbans. The Lascars took it stolidly, the larrikins yelled jubilantly, the policemen had that air of importance they are apt to adopt "when constabulary duty must be done." In the remembrance of how fussy the Customs were, whose officers had dived into even the cash boxes of some of my fellow-passen-gers, I was amused at the scene ; amused at the officials letting the turbaned ones walk past them and not raising a cry till all the town know that Lascars were offering cigars by the hundred for a trifle; amused at the coolness of the Lascars. They were punished, but, still, the turbans of those coming on shore are larger than those going away, and the "Customhouse" only sees them by fits and starts. The Coffek Palaces. Having gob clear of " Custom-housa,' , the next thing is where to stay. There are three Coffee Palaces, the Federal, Victoria, and Grand, be&ides numerous smaller ones. The Federal and Grand are really " palaces." The Victoria is not so pretentious, but is more central. !U any of these the traveller can get rooms; the higher up he goes the less he has to pay for his accommodation. So much is paid for the room per night, and the meals can be taken at the table or elsewhere, a very convenient plan for those moving about much. For permanent boarders arrangements are made similar to any good hotel. But the colfee palaces do wot pay. Thero are numbers of boardinghouses in all directions, sometimes whole terraces of them, where you can be accommodated in whatever style you pay for, and if course good hotels. The Tramways. After I had settled down, and had time to look round, one of the first things that struck me was the excellence of the tramway system. It is well nigh perfect. The cars run at frequent intervals, and make long circuits for 3d. You can go a distance equal to that from Onehunga to Auckland for 3d, trams following each other every five minutes. Arrived at the terminus, you can step into the train or another tram and go sl sixnilar* distance for the same amount, travelling many miles from east to west in a very short space of time for 6d. It is the cable system, and the engine houses are stationed at the top ot the hills, and away go the cars. In Auckland there should be an engine-house ab Parnell, Mount Eden, Ponsonby and Onehunga, at least, and you would soon find more life in the place. I often think, when spinning along here, of the horse-trams crawling up Wellesleyetreet, and the poor animals having all they can do to get up the hill. The cable would spin the car up in different style. Aucklandera may regard the introduction of fche cable car as one great step in advance. It will do them good in many ways. The system of managing intersecting lines is also very perfect. When the trams happen to be stopped to repair the cable, as they sometimes are, for an hour or two, the part of the town through which that line runs Beems dead. They travel at the rate of 8 or 10 miles an hour, accordingto the part of the city through which they run, and according to the traffic. The men are allowed an hour to do an eight-mile trip, with three minutes extra for shunting purposes. Pilots are stationed at town crossings and all along the various tram routes. If a conductor or driver be suddenly taken ill, he keeps the tram going till he meets a pilot walking along the tram route, when he stops and the pilot takes the tram on and takes up the running for the rest of the day. Besides these pilots the brami! are signalled all along the route at certain distances apart by men in signal boxes. The system is said by some to be the mosb perfect cable service in the world, and indued its would seem hard to improve on ib. New Zealand Products. One thing that has pleased me very much and will.l doubt not.gratify your readers feo hear,is the estimation—l should say the increasing estimation—with which New Zealand products are regarded. One great drawback ia want of direct communication between. Auckland and Melbourne. It ia a

long trip via the South, and the transshipment at Sydney by the other route is a disadvantage. When a New Zealand boat comes in, all tho oyster palaces—and they are many—hang out their placards, " New Zealand oysters, just arrived." The New Zealand fish is esteemed here, where the fish supply is poor and inadequate. Ib would be safe to ship as much mullet, flounder, kawhai, sehnapper, etc.. as you could load in the freezing chambers of a direct steamer. It would all go, and at good prices. Has no one enterprise enough to send shipments over ? Meat too would sell. I believe, if a shop were opened to sell exclueively good New Zealand meat, that a roaring trade would be done. Wealthy people would use ib because of its greater delicacy, and others would follow. The best meat here is far, far inferior to New Zealand meat. Oh, howl long sometimes for even tho homely mutton chop or succulent steak, to say nothing of the prime roasts thab are, alas ! alas ! only a romembranco, bub I hope nob " gone for ever," whenever 1 sit down to Melbourne prime joints. In looking ab the meat as ib hangs in the butchers' shops, I see a great difference in the appearance. Instead of the fine flesh and pink and white fab of the mutton as seen in New Zealand, the meat hero looks flabby, the grain of the flesh coarse, the fab slight and yollow-look-ing. In fact, the look of the joints would make them be passed in au Auckland shop. As for cheaper joints here, they are simply uneatable. New Zealand potatoes, cheese and butter an* other things greatly esteemed, and I'll speak regarding regarding butter only. The best butter I have tasted here is much inferior to the best procured in Auckland—wants the delieata flavour. All sorts ot explanations aro given regarding this by Victorians, ■ who admit the fact very often. Tho mosb usual is that the nabural advantages of New Zealand are so great as bo make it as hard to produce bad meat and butter there as it is to produce good hore. Mind, I want to impress on my readers thab I am speaking dispassionately and justly, writing no more than Victorians who know New Zealand admit. It is no uncommon thing for them to say when discussing Naw Zealand. " Ah, there you have so and so," with a ring of admiration in their voices. It is to bring the advantages more clearly under the eyes of Aucklanders and by pointing out defects here show come business men an opening for energy and capital for their own and Auckland's beneiib, thab I aim in writing the following letters. My business gives mo exceptional advantages for seeing and hearing the truth about things, and though I have had good luck myself and have no cause to complain personally, I meet dozens who have come over, and who never would had they known the things 1 will write about. Also some of these had they opened business on the, linos I indicate, selling New Zealand pro duce would be making money instead of baing out ab elbow. Whilst I have had this success myself, I am conscious every day of the advantages Auckland oflers in many ways, so write in the hope of stirring the people up to cheir great resources, and showing them a way to utilise them. The fruitsupply is also inadequate to Melbourne. Here again is an outlet for New Zealand energy. If some of Auckland's farmers who are nob doing well only knew what an enormous demand there is above the supply for fruit and vegetables, they would nob alone grow in quantities to meet bhe demand, bub compel the powers that bo to carry their produce ab rates leaving fair profit. Oh, how sleepy they are, how indifferent to their success, with this huge unsatisfied market ab their door, and not havingevendirect communication. The fact is some of them get into the way of thinking their little town is the world, and what will nob sell there will not anywhere. There existe here a warket to-day for New Zealand produce. The demand will increase, nob decrease. Market for Horses. There is also, and will be, a greater opening for selling good staunch horses here. The average horse here is nob so staunch as the average New Zealand horse. Ponies are greatly used here for drawing phaetons, chaises, hawkers' carts, and ib would pay to breed them and ship them here ; they always command a pood price. Oh, if you New Zealanders, instead of howling about depression, would only realise your great advantages and force them upon the rest of the world, many of your troubles would end. I have nob tried to give a complete list of all the things that might be senb here ; rather have 1 tried to indicate what might bo done, and arouse an interest in the matter, knowing that to those who give it) their attenbion many ideas will suggesb bhemselves, or be suggested, and as a result, not only will " great glory" be theirs, bub great wealth. And this is such a sordid age, Mr Editor, thab I am afraid they would not be satisfied with the " great glory " unless it were accompanied with the wealth. I .-hall make a note of any other openings that my come under my notice, and include them in my other letters, in which I will dilate upon the sights and amusements of Melbourne, in addition to business matters. 1 meet many New Zealanders here in the streets, ab the theabres, and places of amuaemenb, in trains, trams, hotels, board-ing-housee ; the New Zealander seems übiquitous. I saw some well-known Auckland face* in Bourke-street bhe other day, Messrs Samuel Coombes, Edward Lewis, Wm. Errington, and Dr. McMullen. Many New Zealanders here have succeeded and look flourishing ; others appear as if Melbourne does not agree with them very well. No, in sober earnest many of them had better have stayed in Auckland, and so they admit. One poor young fellow felt this so keenly that after cix months' hunting for work and finding none nor having means to return, be threw himself into the Yarra. If some Aucklander will but realise the truth-of what I have said, viz.. there exists a huge and increasing market here if they | only stay at home and supply it, they will be happier, healthier, wealthier and wiser than coming here to disappointmenfc.and in bhe "sweet by and by" will take a run over in affluence just to see the wealth and size of the City of Melbourne, which nevertheless is dependent on them for many of the comforts of life — comforts New Zealanders think all too little of.