RAILWAY AND TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 267, 4 August 1908, Page 8

RAILWAY AND TRADE.

ALONG THE MAIN TRUNK LINE.

AUCKLAND OR WELLINGTON. • VIEWS OF LOCAL MERCHANTS. ■ Some, people have been agitating themselves in, Auckland over Wellington's alleged "pushfulncss". in seeking jtrade .in' the expanding settlements' along the Main Trunk line,-, and .the:-statements created such a guilty sensation in the mind of a pressnian that'lie set out yesterday to find out if Wellington had in her commercial aggressiveness been doing anything she "didn't oughter," or in any case to ascertain why Auckland was crying out "Oh; my! Look what Wellington's doing On the other hand, the statements about the push of Wellington's trade agents in the bush might be only a means of spurring Aucklanders to "get a move on." . "I want to know what you are doing especially ,to got business along the Main Trunk line," said the newspaper man, "arid how we'are" hurting' Auckland so much," "Well, now, that's curious!" said the head of a big dry goods warehouse with considerable interests all over the Island, "I've just left a man who has come down over the Main Trunk'line, and he says that for every commercial 'from Wellington he met two from; ; ' Auckland, and ho urged me to wake.up!" ' ■ "I thought Wellington was alive up the line,'' remarked the. reporter.. "So it is—we're all pushing hard—Wellington,. Auckland, and oven Dunedin are trying hard_ to got in. We've been following- the lino for years—trade follows the cooperative workers, and wherever- there's fifty men at work, a store,.and that store has to be supplied >by someone. It's the first,, smartest, or; lluckiest that gets the business." : M " And how, is it done?" - 1 " We're "working-it from our Wanganui branch, the same, as the; other Wellington houses. You : see youL can wire or telephone from Ohakune, Waiouru, and those places to Wanganui one, day and get the stuff up the next,- whereas"',it' would probably take two days from Wellington'or Auckland." '. " Then'.Wanganui's going to gain by, the Main Trunk?" .

"Most certainly."^My idea is that Wan- | ganui -will gain considerably' by the opening l up of• the : 'splendid country up: at i the ■ back. The steamer freights-are cheap from Wellington to Wanganui, ' and goods will be dispatched -to' the- interior, from -there ■ moro promptly than from J any other seaport," , ' " But what -is there as between Wellington arid-Auckland?'' : " r ' * " Nothing , 'at . all. " You can't;, say; that we have 'an' advantage,' because this is the centre iivhere most of' the big "steamers first touch, because Auckland holds stocks of all the lines \re\ do—it'is merely a case of expediency as far-as the central section'of the line is concerned, otherwise Auckland must get the bulk of the trade on "its side, of the'centre, and Wellington (or- Wanganui) will serve the southern section. Push may do a little, but •the trade will right itself on those lines." , -Another general, merchant : consulted' expressed almost precisely the: saine views. His operating'on.the central section, of the ' Main Trunk '"through its Wanganui-. branch, and ;hei, 'too,- considered that'Wanganui would be more' than .compensated by losing the through-to-Auckland- connection by the trade that would accrue frbin the development of tho lands tapped by the arterial failway of the North Island. '.Wholesale drapery and clothing warehousemen were found'to be quite passive over the Main Trunk trade prospects. " The Teason was that they had'houses in both Auckland arid Wellington, so it was merely a matter oLwhose district the ; new townships were included in;