'FRISCO MAIL SERVICE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 204, 29 August 1910, Page 5

'FRISCO MAIL SERVICE.

DETAILS OF THE SCHEME. APPROVAL OF PARLIAMENT ASSURED. , (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. » There is good reason for saying that tlie Opposition will oiler no objection to the arrangement with the Union S.S. Co. j to run a mail service between .New Zeai land and San Francisco. Members on ■both sides of the House seem pleased with the scheme, and it will be ratified beyond all doubt by Parliament. '» The new service, it is understood, will • begin at Wellington on the 19th Octo- • ber, and will be four-weekly. The ■> steamer will leave Wellington for Auck- • land, Auckland for Rarotonga and Paf peete, thence to San Francisco, returning i via the Island ports named -to Welling--1 ton. i The present Well'ngton-Papeete ser- - vice -will be withdrawn. i The new line will not run counter to i the Spreckels line from Papeete to San 1 Francisco, which is subsidised by the i French Government; at the same time, - it iS not at all unlikely that sometimes i the Union steamer and the Mariposa, , which maintains the Spreckels service, s may run dose together, if they do not 3 leave Papeete for San Franeis>co, or ! vice versa, simultaneously. The new . line will be able to land San Prancisco fruit and other produce when our mar--5 i kets are bare, and can take them with--3 out transhipment, also general cargo on j the -wharf at Wellington for distribution 3 to other parts of New Zealand. A strong feature of the new service t is to be the provision of ample refriger- , ated space, suitable for New Zealand ) produce. The Aorangi, which will be t placed on the line with the Maitai, has f been carrying larrje quantities of butter 1 and 'meat from Sydney to Vancouver . when she was in that run, and carryj ing it well. The Maitai will require to j have her refrigerated space enlarged. I This will be done. It is hoped that. . notwithstanding the hizhly protective , duties of the United .State's, there will be an opening for some lines of New .' Zealand produce in the markets -on the J Parific slope. I; I The new line should be of great ad- ,! vantage to the hemp producer, providing . the price improves, for when the Auck-land-San Francisco line was in full running order, considerable quantities of j fibre were shipped from the northern I port to San Francisco for distribution , to American cordage manufacturers. The tourist traffic should receive a , stimulus also, because 'the American j visitor will be able to spend a month in New Zealand, starting from Welling- , ton and returning home from Auckland, i American tcurist.s. as a rule, can cram . more than most other people into a , month of sightseeing. The Aorangi and the Maitai will be the steamers in the trade for tho r.resnnt. Tt is confidently ejrpectpd that the trade will assume such I proportions as to require laro-er vessels, j The Mnitai (as the Miowera) was used , with the Warri-moo fher sister ship) in t the inausriration of the CanadianAustralian line. . MB. POOLE'S VIEWS. 1 : HOW AT7CKXAITO STANDS. f __ WELUJJGTO? TFIT3 C©MI>A>JY'S CENTRAL POET. Speaking on the subject of the proposed revival of a 'Frisco sen-ice will) J i Wellington as the terminal port this end, \I to a Press-man this morning, Mr. C. H. . j Poole, MJ , ., remarked: "The light for . the l"acific trade is pretty acute ao the [ ! present time, and there is no doubt that the possible passage of the Subsidies' iiill in America has quickened the endeavours x of local enterprise to hold the Pacific trade, pending the establishment of a definite and permanent service. In view of the proposed extension and overhaul of , the Spreckles stvaraers, and the construe- , tion of a new steamer for the liuddart, Parker Company, it would seem that the . antinquated Aorangi and Maitai. o.r Mio- [ wera, are substituted boats to i.old the service until the completion of the other vessels. The usual enterprise of the Union Company is rmintfestcd here, and ■ j may give that company "the right to die- j , j tate terms when the occasion arises. " For some time," observed Mr. Poole,' "the Union Company have boen construct-1 ! ing works at Wellington with the idea of i making Port Nicholson the centre for I the overhaul and refit of their vessels. I Probably this has been in anticipation of the extended Pacific trade. Ifc is to be regretted from the Auckland standpoint that it is proposed that Wellington shall be the terminal port for the new service in New Zealand, as all the principal benefits, owing to overhaul and refit, will in the nature of things go to Wellington. From an outward standpoint the new should be as beneficial to us as | the old 'Frisco service was, seeing that I thoss steamers only spent a few hours in ! our port. With r"<rord to food supplies I I for the voyage, Auckland should have as j i large .i cut in as the old service allowed j our port, while at the same time the! whole Dominion will receive the benelit ] of supplies, whereas Australia received th e major benefits before. " Another feature of probable interest to New Zealand is the effort to establish a frozen meat and produce trade with the Pacific Coast. Lately returns of a very gratifying nature hare reached Australasian shippers in connection with the sale of trial shipments of frozen mutton and beef in the Easteni States, and this fact has been referred to in the House. The fact that tremendous consignments of meat are sent away from Chicago to the Pacific Coast by the Meat Truit, over thousands of miles of railway, i≤ an indication that there must be a fa:r margin of profit for direct shippers, while the immediate development of a New Zealand trade for frozen produce would not only case the English market, but would enable us to get in ahead of the South American export companies. With our new areas of -country opening in tho North, and the increased production, these new possibilities should be hailed with delight by exporters who are aware of the prospects. " So far as the interests of Auckland as the terminal port arc eoncerne'i, every effort will be made by the Auckland mem- j bers to secure consideration for th.. . Northern port," said Mr. Poole; "but as many Southern districts are to be considered, it may not be possible for Auckland representation to secure all that the people in this part of the Dominion will desire. To believe that the Miowera and Aorangi are to be on the service for any length of j time is not within the bounds of reason, j for these boats have seen their day, and J must, be replaced at an early date by nes I steamers. And again. 1 say. that they are just there in aTI 'probability to hold the Pacific trade until there ar e newer steamers of a more suitable and speedier j I type ready, to take up the ren, , '

AUCKLAND CHAHBKR OF COMAIEB.CE 3£EEHNG. The president of the Auckland' Chamber of Commerce (Mr. J. H. Gunson) haa called a meeting of the Council for this afternoon to consider the new service, and decide -what action Should be taken. AUCKLAND MEMBERS INTERVIEWED. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. Mr. Massey, interviewed this morning, said he had in the past always advocated very strongly a mail service by way of San Francisco, and he -was extremely sorry ■when the old service between San Francisco and Auckland was allowed to drop. "I have not yet had time to go thoroughly into the new proposals," added the Leader of the Opposition, "but it is quite certain that the new service which has been arranged between the Government and the Union Company is not likely to be so good as that which ran" for so many years between this country and San Francisco. However, if the new service prove successful, it will. no doubt develop, and at the end of a year's fair trial we should be able to form an opinion upon the results.' . Several Auckland members spoken to on the subject expressed appreciation of the fact that the 'Frisco service is to be again established, but objected to the fact that the Government proposes to make Wellington the port of arrival. This arrangement they regard as an attempt to please Wellington, as well as Auckland, in view of the jealousy recently displayed between the two cities on this question of the mail service. THE PRIME MINISTER INTERVIEWED. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. Referring to the new service, the Prime Minister this morning mentioned that the Mokoia or Moana would be used i with the Aorangi, instead of the Maitai, ; which was mentioned on Saturday morning. "We shall; of course, continue the weekly service via Suez," said Sir Joseph, in reply to a question, "but the San Francisco service will be much faster to London. Our efforts to obtain the Vaaj couver service will not be relaxed." A WELLINGTON VIEW. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. Mr. H. C. Tewsley, president of the j Wellington Chamber of Commerce, interj viewed, said: "I certainly think tha i Government is to be complimented on the ' arranging of the service at such a moderate cost to the whole Dominion. I do not think that any question of Auckland versus Wellington need be imported into the matter. It is a fair division, and also treats with fairness the claims of the south end of New Zealand, especi- \ ally for the distribution of perishable commodities, such as fruit from the islands. At the same time it gives tourists •in opportunity of visiting the beauties of the Southern Lakes, the Alps, and the j. Sounds, as well as the sceaic attractions Jof the Wast Coast., such as Otira Gorge. There is not the slightest doubt that it is a. great advantage to lin/ve an improved connection with such a great country as the United States. We want to attract as many tourists as possible, irrespective of nationality, and to have the best transit facilities between a country such as America and here. Of course, it is a great improvement on the existing con- ; rlitions to ensure that there shall be no transhipment at Tahiti."