P. AND O. LINERS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 80, 6 April 1910, Page 7

P. AND O. LINERS.

o WHICH PORT OF CALL? THE CLAIMS OF WELLINGTON. 1 AUCKLAND AGITATED. [BI TEtEOHAPn — SPECIAL TO THE POST.J AUCKLAND, 6th April. There is general uneasiness expressed by shipping and commercial men here that, a quiet but persistent effort is being made in Wellington to divert tho P. and O. steamers, or some of them which will be in the New Zealand trade, from Auckland to Wellington. The impression here seems to be that unless Auckland is very wide awake and active in the matter eventualities may arise before next November that will prejudicially,, affect tho relationship already established between the P. and O. Company and the port of Auckland. It is believed that already steps are be-mg taken in Wellington in connection. w-/th the line referred to which will seriously menace the interests of Auckfond in this matter. So strong is the feeling on the subject that the president of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce (Mr. Gunson) has cabled direct to Sir Thomas Sutherland, chairman of directors of the P. and O. Line a* follows : — "Trust Auckland will be retained as monthly port of call. Service highly appreciated anc l valuable." The cablegram was sent on behalf o£ tfae chamber, and the whole question will be discussed at the next council meeting of that body. STEAMER ARRANGEMENTS. Messrs Russell and Somers, Auckland agents for the P. and O. line, have received information from the head office of the company in Sydney/to the effect that a monthly service of steamers wjfl be run from New Zealand in November,to bo inaugurated by the Mongolia, leaving Sydney for the Dominion on 19th November. This steamer will be followed at four-weekly intervals by the Mooltan, Mantua, and Marmora, the Mongolia, and Mooltan making second trips. The last P. and O. steamer to call at Auckland this sesison will be the, Morea, due on 13th April. Messrs Russell p^od Somers have- received no intbnritipn that their company s steamers will make Wellington a port of call. WELLINGTON VIEWS. WHAT IS BEST FOR NEW, ZEALAND. NO PAROCHIAL FEELING. Mr. Trelawney, general manager- itt Australia of the P. and O- Co., who is at present in Wellington, was seen by a representative of The Post to-day, butj he had nothing to say on the- subject, and no information sX all to give aitthe moment with reference to the company s operations in New Zealand. „?"• X- C - Tewsley, president of the onamher of Commerce, and a- former prominent member of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, denied that there was any Wellington feeling in the matter at all. He strongly deprecated the entry of the P. and 0. steamers mto the New Zealand trade being nude a parochial question. He could not say whether the steamers would call at Auckland and Wellington alternately, or make either Auckland or WelJjngton the solo port of arrival and departurt. That was for the P. and O Company to decide. So far as he tyaa aware no influence had been exercised. or would be exercised, by the Welling? ton commercial men as a body to induce tho P. and 0. Line to divert their trade from Auckland to Wellington. Of course, Wellington would be glad to increase the shipping business of the port, but he denied that there was any petty local feeling on the matter at this end. It was a great pity that the question of Wellington versus Auckland had been raised at all. Because Auckland got the service there surely could not be any reason why Wellington should not strive for an extension of it to this port. If the E» and O. Company cam© to Wellington Mr. Teweley thought that it might be a diplomatic move on the company's part, fearing some other big company might be desirous of coming here also. It was the P. and O.s affair, after all. The only feeling that would actuate Wellington in the. matter would be what was best for the Dominion as a whole — certainly not what was prejudicial to Anckland or peculiarly favourable to Wellington. IMPORTERS WELL SERVED. As for the present "blue water" service, i.e., the New Zealand Shipping Company, and Shaw-Savill, and Tyser and other boats^ — importers were, he said, as well served as they could expect to be. In fact, that service was excellent from tho importers' point of view, ,and he was now speaking as a large importer. If the P. and 0. steamers called here, no d&ttbt travellers mho did not wish to tranship would firfd it most convenient u> at once step on board the vessel in VVellington and go straight to their destiaation without change. THE PORT OF WELLINGTON. Hon. T. K. Macdonald, as a business man and a member of tho Harbour Board, said no one was more sorry for Auckland over the recent mishap to the Kaipara than was the average Wellingtonian. There was not bitter, parochial, narrow-minded feeling here in the matter of the P. and 0. line or any other matter. The company would no doubt send its ships where it was most convenient to handle tho New Zealand trade, and also in the best interests of the passenger traffic it was seeking to obtain. It was ior tho company, not for Wellington or Auckland, to say which should be tha ports of arrival and departure. Ho strongly deprecated the attempts being rrade by public men at this important juncture to belittle the dry dock which was in course of construction for Wellington. The place was the very best for it, according to the consensus of opinion of experts. Real mischief was being done to the fair refutation of the port, when it was possible that a great line like the P. and 0. would call here, to raise up the dock bogey. A dock would certainly be wanted if the P. and O. oi other big line made Wellington a regular port of call, and the site selected for that dock was the right one. Mr, Macdonald ridiculed the suggestion that there was any local feeling over the P. O. Company's steamers in Wellington. "Auckland can at once dismiss that thought from its mind," he said. "Wellington was not so small-minded, not so petty as to attempt to prejudice the trade of Auckland by trying to divert the P. and O. Company's steamers in Welport. What is going* to be best for the Dominion is what concerns Wellington. The details are in the hands of tho P. and *O. Company itself. The port can stand on its merits." NEW AVENUES OF TRADE. Mr. J. G. Harkness, a- former president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, and secretary of tha National Dairy Association, was asked whether the calling of the P and 0. steamers at Wellington would not benefit the dairy trade? He thought it would do good — if the tteamers took cargo at all—

by introducing healthy competition in tiie matter of dairy produce and meat freights. In reply to a question, he said he did ■*iot think th^re was much to be done in opening up trade in butter and cheese with the East and the Mediterranean, because the Australians were already well in those trades. ' What did matter was, however, improved direct service between New Zealand and Africa, and ho supposed the P. and O. did not con"template entering into the Cape trade. Here there was good business to be done .in butter and cheese if there were direct communication between Wellington and Capetown and Durban. Mr. J. B. MacEwan, a large exporter of dairy produce, who has recently returned from a business visit to London, expressed the view that there was not likely to be much trade done between New Zealand and East Mediterranean by the P. and! O. Not because the trade was not there, but because the steamers via Suez were shutting out cargo in Australia in order to till up ,with apples at Hobart. The trade in the East was- there, however, and New Zealand might attempt to do something if the facilities offered. At present tho Australians had a firm hold of the Eastern trade, and aleo of that of Egypt. Then there were the difficulties for Sew Zealand shippers to the East to overcome of getting through bills of lading, of the inconvenience and additional expense of transhipment. If the shipping companies had to bear the cost of the transhipment they would, o€ course, make inclusive rates. Someone must pay. THE PASSENGER TRAFFIC There could, he said, be no doubt whatever in the mind of those accustomed to long distance travelling that passengers would appreciate the avoidance of transhipping at Sydney or Melbourne by being able to board a P. and O. steamer in Wellington. He knew of specific instances where people from Home coming out to Australia were deterred from visiting Xew Zealand because of the trouble and discomfort of transhipment. In the case of New Zealand passengers, no doubt Wellington would bo a \ery convenient port to arrive at and leave from.