THE WEST COAST TRADE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 135, 8 June 1911, Page 4

THE WEST COAST TRADE.

AUCKLAND FIRST. LOCAL MERCHANT'S OPTIMISM. ! ""Auckland will always have the bulk j of the West Coast trade," was the opin-' ion expressed by a prominent business man in conversation with a "Star" reporter to-day. This remark was elicited as the result of a paragraph appearing in a Wellington exchange stating that the Patea Steamship Company was expanding its coastal trade by running a steamer from Wellington to Waitara. For years past different vessels have .traded bet-ween- -Wel___*~bn and Waitara, but recently" the trade was abandoned, and —ie -Pat—i Company has come into the breach ■ and -proposes -to "maintain'—a weekly service. The K.apit'i made the initial trip, leaving Wellington last evening. When the paragraph was shown to Mr. Arch Clark, who has trade interests on the West Coast, he said he did not think. it would jeopardise the prospects of Auckland merchants on the West Coast. Wellington always had done a certain amount of trade with New Plymouth, and he did not think the new service would affect Auckland to any extent. Auckland had the best steamboat communication provided by the Northern S_3. Co., which was all that could be expected and equal to all the requirements lof the trade. As the trade expanded the servt—e would no doubt be improved, and in the event of the cutting of the ManuI kau Canal the prospects of local iner- ' chants would be greatly enhanced.

Mr. C._ Ranson, general manager of the Northern company, said the trade de-" pended on the activity displayed by the merchants. The freight rate between Gr—uunga and Waitara was- about the same as between Wellington and- Waitara, but the railage- from Auckland to Onehunga was a. factor, and this difficulty, he believed, was not over by Auckland merchants paying railage to Onehunga wharf. The Company ran a fortni.htly service to Waitara .which was sufficient for ail requirements. He did not see how a weekly service could ha maintained' from' trie Wellington .end. Mr. —_nson further "pointed out that his Company had pierced into the Wellington province as far as "Wanganui, and the fortnightly boat which ran there was always full, despite the fact that boats arrived there from Wellington every other day, showing that Auckland merchants i were able to do business in certain - lines j •better than .Wellington. .. ..