AUCKLAND PROTESTS

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 335, 23 October 1908, Page 7

AUCKLAND PROTESTS

NEW STEAMSERVICEDIRECT FROM WELLINGTON TO THE ISLANDS. STATEMENT BY THE. PRIME MINISTER.' Auckland is jealous of its maritime in.torests to' a degree that almost amounts to fanaticism, and bitterly resents any movement that might tend to encroach on what aro evidently considered to be her preserves in mid-Pacific. Tho Government having decided to establish a direct servico between Wellington and tho Islands, Auckland has risen in protest. Mr. W. S. Douglas, editor of tho '..'New Zealand Herald," sent the following telegram to the Prime Minister on .Wednesday. . "Proposal establish Wellington-Island service, thus diverting trade from Auckland, causing indignation. I would be glad of a statement from J'ou on tho subject," Tho statement made by the Prime Minister is as : — • "In reply to yours of to-day, I .do not know-of any reason for indignation regarding tho proposal to establish a steamer servico from Wellington to Tahiti via Raratonga and return voyage only. It has been arranged for twclvo months with a doublo object, firstly, giving an opportunity to Wellington and southern fruit importers to obtain fruit from tho Islands in a fairly satisfactory condition (an effort to do which has been made for somo .years without success)', a great deal of fruit arriving in Wellington and the southern portions of tho Dominion in a damaged condition; and the service was intended to prevent this. Secondly,, a steamer service is ruftning between Tahiti and San Francisco, and by having a through mail ser- ■ vice to and from London in 33 days will give us a quicker mail than any otlier route that is. possible for the moment, and it is estimated that tho postages that the. Department will receive wll come out of the subsidy the Postal Department is paying. There is no interference of any kind proposed or intended so far as the three steamer services now running from Auckland are concerned, one of which lias been subsidised since 1880. This is the service between Auckland and Fiji, and makes thirteen trips a year, in addition ' to which a steamer runs every four weeks from Auckland calling at the Friondly Islands,. Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands, "'and Tahiti. A similar service is limning from Sydney to Auckland oalling at tho. tamo islands, the two steamers arriving at Auckland and Sydney respectively at tho same timo. In addition to these there is a mail servico running from Auckland to Raratonga and Tahiti. These three services are to continue without alteration, and I may say. I do not regard the proposed service to Tahiti as in any way taking the place of tho New Zealand-Vancouver service, for which Auckland would bo tho port of call. lam unable to see any reason why there should be indignation on tho part • of anyone in Auckland on account of this service, as it should bo remembered that what the Government has to do is to meet the requirements of trade to and from the various ports of Now Zealand, which' from time to time have to be provided, and as this service, in view of the mail route derived from it, has been established on an economical basis, it is. worthy of a trial for twelvo months.''

A PROTEST. RESOLUTION BY AUCKLAND CHAMBER ; . : OF COMMERCE. (Br TELKGUAI'H— ASSOCIATION.) ' Auckland, October 22. ' Tlio. action of the Government in connection, with- the proposed subsidy to the Wel-lington-Raratonga-Tahiti mail Service Was referred to at a meeting of the. council of the Auckland Chamber of. Commerce this afternoon. ' Tho discussion on tho matter was opened by Mr. J. B. Macfarlane, who expressed the opinion .that the chamber should tako some action iii the matter. , Mr. B. Kont referred to-tho fact that 'Auckland was nearly 600 miles nearer Raratonga: than Wellington, ,and said it was strange that the Government should attempt in an unnatural way to bolster up a mail service from, Wellington to Raratonga at the expense, not only of Auckland, but of tho whole Dominion. This was another example of lia6ty legislation. Tho proposal had been brought down at the eloventh hour of the session, and rushed _ through, and it was only now that attention was being drawn to it. lie had no fault to find with Wellington attempting to get a mail service,, but it was unfair to the Dominion, that the Government should subsidise, it. The - objection applied with .even stronger force to Tahiti than to Raratonga, as in that case the distanco from' Wellington was 2980 miles, as against 2200 from Auckland, which was the natural port of call for any mail service, either from Vancouver or Sail Francisco. Now that tho Main Trunk railway was completed, correspondence, if brought to Auckland, could bo delivered to tho people' of Wellington sooner than by a direct boat to tho. latter port. itr. T. Peacock said ••that now that the contract with the Union Company had been entered into, it was impossible to do much beyond 'protesting against the granting of the'.subsidy without any valid reason being shown.' 1 - : Mr. Kent said he totally differed from tho Hon; Geoi Fowlds, who argued that because the Auckland servico '■ was going to be continued, it was right to subsidise the Wellington sorvice. That was quite a mistaken view. He moved:—"That this chamber records its strong protest to tho Government against tho granting of a subsidy of £7000 to tho Wellington service without any valid reason befing shown." The motion; which was seconded, was carried unanimously. : A letter was received at tho meeting from Mr. David Ncald, of Wellington, suggesting that aii effort be made to open up a trade connection between Auckland and Norfolk 'Island.. Ho said that the island was only three day's' steam , from Auckland, against ten days from Sydney. The Auckland merchants should bo able to supply goods as cheaply as the Bydney merchants. Tho President (Mr. L. J. Bagnall) said that Norfolk Island was certainly nearer Auckland than Sydney, but at the samo time it was under tho control of the New South Wales Government. It was agreed to .refer the matter to the Importers Committee.

"ENTIRELY EXPERIMENTAL." EXPLANATION BY HON. G. FOWLDS. (ill' mHUUAPII—L'KESS ASSOCIATION.) ■ , "Auckland, October 22. Interviewed this morning on tlio subject of the -service between Wellington, ltaratonga, and Tahiti, connecting with tho 'Frisco steamers at tlio French colonial port ton times a year, the Hon. Geo. Fowlds stated that the service was entered into by the .Government in consequence of an offer made by the Union Company. Tho Union Company stated that their present Island service from Auckland could not be extended to connect with the mail steamers at Tahiti because it would not suit their rUnniiig' arrangements with Fiji, and that any service which might bo established mlist bp entirely imh'Doiident of the existing service, which could not be disturbed in any way.; They were to ascertain what trado could bo developed' between Tahiti ami Wellington, at the same time forming n connection with the Fiji mail ten times in the year, making the time of tho voyage 33 days. The Union Company asked a much larger subsidy. than the Government finally agreed to grant, and the service was entirely experimental.