PORTS FOR OUR PRODUCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 15, 17 January 1914, Page 10

PORTS FOR OUR PRODUCE.

CDXTTVATION OF NEW ■JMtSTEIBtrnNG CENTRES. THE CLAMS OF SUX3T "";•' . SERIOUS FACTORS TO FACE PRETEXT DATA TOO MEAGRE. With the development of trade between Australasia and Great Britain, ami the growing output of primary profrom tire colonies, the qnrt'otiom oi opening up new ports and d»«nbuting centres in the Old Country for our produce Ah: rule? itself more freriuently

cvprv ve.'.r. in the pa*t taw years irad'o ' corcmiflsioners and: special cojnmis.-ionr. have visited' us to collect- dnl.i or to advance propositions tor the better distribution oi colonial produce among the congested centres of population, and lant year one of tnese visitor* haiied from the port of Hull. Thai gentleman addressed Chambers ol Commerce, and interviewed merchants with the cubjcit of interesting them in the advantage* 'which he advanced for the cteLa-bHshmcni of a direct trade -between Australasia and the Yorkshire port. By to-days eaibles the idea is again made pruminent .by Mr Austin Wilson, who recommends the payment of .1 mi .derate riibsidy from the overseau Domi;'..ir." for the "establishment of a regular t-tearuer seTvice.

No one wiil deny the advantages of having several distributing centres for our pro.luce rather than being rcstrielr-.I to one market. The equipping of ports against so formidable a competitor as London, possessed of the irrntnenselv powerful trade magnets that wake it the commercial mecca- of the two hemispheres, is, -however, not a light undertaking. iFor this reason alone the cuecessful establishment of a rival port presents innumerable difficulties, not the least of .which is the conservatism of the British commercial

tnam. whose regard -turns to the London market as naturally ac the eyes of tbe Zoroastrian turn to the su-n. This worship of the London market has been iedulously bred also in the oversea producer an-d shipper, so that even now, laSthtwigh the ifetiich is [being slowly broken by the enterprise of certain companies and trading organisations, the average s-hipper is 1-ofch to seek another market. Some ten or more rears ago a start -was made to open up t? trade ■with-the -west of England, and "Bristol was boomed as a new distriibutjng- centre. Yet, notwithstanding that .millions have been spent, and the focili-t-ies at this port, favourably compa-red by many with those on the Thames, the ■trade between New Zealand, for instance, rand Bristol is still a comparatively email matter. The Commissioner w~ao visited us from Hull last year urged the advantages of direct trade with the big population of Yorkshire and the North of England, but it is admitted that a subsidy will be required to encourage a steamship company to start a service, while very little of a definite nature has been forthcoming as to the particular possibilities of such a trade- to the colonial producer. The fact thai Hull is the nearest port to the great wool-buying centre suggests perhaps that this port would be admirably situated as the destination of our wool ships. But it is argued that London is the scene of the groat wool sales, and it is to London that our wool must go in search of -the best prices. So with our frozen meat and butter, though a large quantity finds its -way to the provinces, the middleman's eyes have so long been glued to the London market that it is there that the best prices have always been obtainable. WHO WILL TAKE THE RISK? Diseasing the possibilities of Hull as a future market for some of our frozen meat, Mr. H. E. Stringer, of the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company, said that the trade for the North of England was more particularly for secondclass meat. "London is the only place i in the world that will eat our prime, first-class lamb," he added. "As lo the miming of a steam service between Australasia and Hull, we have heard of it for some time, but nothing definite has been told us about it, such as the freight rates proposed, the storage rates, the prospects of the prices, the nature of the ■market, and a hundred and one things. Besides, who would run the initial risk? Would the steamship owners be prepared to buy outright and take the risk themselves? At the present time there are steamers running to Liverpool and Manchester, though very little is sent to Manchester owing to the canal charges; but Liverpool is not very far from Yorkshire after all, and, on the face of things, would seem sufficient for distributing purposes. Of course," remarked Mr. Stringer, "trade develops at an astonishing rate nowadays. Look at Vancouver, and the trade to Hull might develop similarly. But it. would be disturbing an old-established custom. The whole proposition depends very largely on the men at the bead of it." VALUABLE AUXILIARIES. Mr. Pacev. the general manager of the New Zealand Dairy Association, said he had read with interest the cabled report re shipping facilities at Hull and Bristol. The matter of handling New Zealand produce in England bad engaged the attention of the management of his association for some time past, and Mr. Spragg. its chairman, was in England at present investigating such matters. Meanwhile, Mr. Baccy s-aid. he appreciated the desire of.the commercial interests at the places mentioned to get for their ports and cities the advantage of more oversea shipping. I'rom a New Zealand point of view he looked upon shipping facilities with Hull anil Bristol as of valuable auxiliary interesi. but he though! New Zealand's first advantage would be best served by maintaining and improving the facilKies at London.