SIR JAMES MILLS BACK.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 995, 9 December 1910, Page 6

SIR JAMES MILLS BACK.

/A SHORT.INTERVIEW..'" 7. ■;.:|THE-TEANS-PACIFIC SERVICES. '■'■: Sir James Mills,'who has been visiting vlxihddn,-- returned ■ to .Wellington. yester- ■ day by the Aorangi from San Francisco. Interviewed, he stated that he had return"■ecLyia San Francisco for the express puripo'se of inquiring into New Zealand trado prospects by "this route. Ho was now safisfied'that there was a good trade to be developed, ■ in:'time, ,to 'a self-supporting ;-. service. Business men in San Francisco reri'erally anticipated—now', that a regu-■Jar..four-weekly service was running to ;.>Nejv:: Zealand—a recovery .of the ' trade : carried on' when American 6teamers were Tunning to.the colonies.' There'was also . passenger trade to be developed from •; the Western- States of America. ,"!MSuiy' : .people who could afford to travel would 'bo glad to winter in Australia or .:s»%■ Zealand oh being enabled to travel - expeditiously -under comfortable condition's.; ;■■ '::■■• ;*-'..:■ '.As to; trade prospects, from this, end Sir . James Mills' stated his ' conviction that thft- service 'opened ,a;-market for' frozen meat and dairy produce; ■'■ He instanced ; the, : fact that 5000-carcasses of mutton shipped by the Aorangi on her first trip :-to.,'San Francisco arrived in excellent condition and commanded a ready sale. A representative of a. New Zealand firm, was : now. iri'the Western-,-States on a .trade. '.; exploration mission and hoped to secure orders for regular shipments of New Zealand produce. '■ Some' opposition by power-ful-trade combinations would have to be surmounted, , but New Zealand butter, •;specially 1 /prepared;'for-a market- in ■ the, States, should, meet .with a-very 'ready ; sale. : Sir James Mills stated that he was in Ottawa on November 1, when tenders for the Vancouver-Australian mail had to be .deposited.. "Our tender was the only one 'itf." he. continued. .."We submitted seve-. > Tal alternative : routes, particulars of, /which, I am informed, • have already ■ been published in'"New Zealand. There .was'submitted a tender for a continu;'nnco of, tho existing service via .Brisbane, or- l a' service :to include New Zealand. Different rates of, speed, ,too v -It was de- . cided'to submit ".the proposals to 'the New .Zealand and' Australian Governments - for-.their concurrence, . and to-. accept ■ a ..lender for a. five years' direct service to 'Australia,- •' via ■ Vancouver, . Honolulu, .-Fiji,'Auckland,'and Sydney,' the boats:to' travel fifteen-knots, at. sea and to. deliver' the'.'mails at Auckland.within nineteen /days (r.eally ■ eighteen and a,-half)-from! -Vancouver. - This is..looked- upon''as' an ..imple speed at the:present: time; roore--'.over,', it is what. is.provided/for -in; the contracts-recently.' made, for the carriage Dfcmails bythe P.'and 0. and the Orient : fln.es v by-the Red Sea route;" ' .', -.'. . .'With' the Vancouver service; calling at .'Auckland, and the.San;.Francisco service, New! Zealand,' Sir,' Jamb's .Mills .'remarked, would have 'mailcpnimunicaticih ■ twice in. .four' weeks, via .America. : Mails would : be-'-delivered': in 'London -in thirty-one days,'.-which , compared favourably with, i.iheXStez 'route, '.."The Vancouver' scryice ■ vjas now carried on by the steamers of; .'.'the'-. Huddart-Parker svnd Union Com: : ; 'panies. -. ,The' contract completed, a mew Bteahier'>-6uld be'at'once built' to replace -the 'Zeaiandiai which would revert . td v 'the ihter-colonial trade. The ./new .steamer would be larger arid faster than , the;.Makura.../' v