THE ISLAND TRADE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 252, 21 October 1908, Page 5

THE ISLAND TRADE.

WELUDfGTON ENTERS INTO oOMPErrrcor. AUCKLAND MERCHANTS INDIGNANT. j It has been announced that the Go- ! vernmeni has made arrangements with I the Union Steam Ship Company for. a i mail service from Wellington to Ea.rotonga, Papeete, and Tahiti, connecting with the United States mail service between Papeete and San Francisco.. The service will be 10 times a year, and it is expected that the time, Wellington to San Francisco, will not exceed 24 days, and to London 34 to 35 days. The first mail from New Zealand will leave on January 3 nejrt. The mail steamers will sail direct for Tahiti, calling at j Barotonga on the return voyage to Weli lington. This morning a "Star" representative, on making inquiries at the ofSce of the i Union Steam Ship learned that ' arrangements had been made whereby ! the Wellington-Rarotonga-Papeete ser- ! vice is to be undertaken from the- beginning of the year. The new service will not in any way interfere with the present Auckland service, which wiH go on as usual. The steamers to run from Wellington will make ten trips per year, and will connect with Spreckle's steamers at Papeete, thus allowing New Zealand passengers to book right through to 'Frisco. Tt is pointed out that the new service has long been advocated by the Cook Island fruitgrower? and Southern merchants, and that the new connection will not affect Auckland. In fact. Auckland will possess a distinct advantage, in that the Wellington connection, will oc- . cnpy 31 days, while the Auckland trip can be negotiated in 28 days. Occasionally the -steamers arriving ax both ports may clash, and arrive shnrrltaneousiy, but it is expected that the lime table wHI be arranged so as to reduce such a possibility to a minimum. "It means a very serious thing to Auckland merchants,"" declared Mr G. Kron- ' feld. whose firm, deals extensively with Tahiti and the islands. "It has been stated that Auckland has allowed much of the island trade to drift into the I bonds of Sydney merchants. That is I utterly wrong. Auckland still retains i j the lion's share of the Tongan and 6a- : moan trade and the only island with which Sydney fe doing a larger business i is Fiji." " 3dr KronfeJd farther pointed out that ■ the trade with Rarotonga, Tahiti, and , other islands of the Eastern Pacific has t grown to a. very considerable extent. . Auckland ships htrge quantities of prot duce to these places, and in return im- ; ports large quantities of fruit, more par- . ticularly from the Cook TrfmA: I "That Wellington shoald receive a P £7000 subsidy is distinctly unfair, ,, add- ' ed Mr Kronfeld, "and if Wellington merj chants had a stroke of energy in them they woold not want to enter into a competition 'with a trade which Auckland merchants have built up. It is extremely unfair, and when they were able to receive such a subsidy from the. Government they would have shown a more enterprising spirit if they had devoted their attention to the building up trade with new and - more suitable places, such as New Caledonia or the New Hebrides. The island i trade belongs to Auckland, if for no s other reason than Auckland's geographi--1 cal position. However," he concluded, "even with, the tremendous advantage of i such a subsidy, I am confident that Auckf land will be able to more than hold its • own, and it will be surprising if the - Wellington service can be made to pay t its way." • "Our greatest comphunt is that the »- Government kept the matter dark," de- : clared the principal of another leading i Auckland.firm identified with the Islands t trade. "We knew noUring of the matter until the vote had actually been placed I upon the Estimates. If the subsidy ; granted to a Wellington service had been t no mere than that granted to the Anckl land service, then we woold not com- ; plain; bat it is distinctly unfair that j Wellington should receive £7000 while j we only receive £1200. However, even at the increased subsidy, we doubt if the Wellington connection will pay. Any change made should have been to have f arranged for c fortnightly instead of a c monthly service from. Auckland, and to j have made proveion for the saiting 3 of the boats to Wellington and other c southern ports, immediately after calling ft at Auckland." "I am disgusted with the whole affair," declared Mr. A. Tooman, who is largely I interested in the island fruit trade. "Ii j there was any need for a direct service with Wellington there could be no seri- • ous objection; but that need does not exist. If the only ports of- call are to a be Barotonga and Papeete, the service , will never pay. In the long run it is probable that they will be compelled tc take in some of the other islands. At the same time I am satisfied Auckland has nothing to fear from the competition likely to arise. Even in the Cook Islands, the Auckland merchants are toe . firmly established to suffer from eompej tition, and altogether the Wellington service is not likely to prove a success from a financial or any other point ol