PACIFIC INTERESTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 78, 29 September 1938, Page 6

PACIFIC INTERESTS

VISITOR FROM BATAVIA

Dr. H. A. Colijn, son of the Prime Minister of Holland, and general passenger manager of the X.P.M. Line, Batavia, arrived by the Wanganella yesterday from Sydney. He is on home leave, but instead of taking the direct route to the Netherlands, via Suez, he is making a detour by way of Australia. New Zealand, Honolulu, and the United States of America. If all works out according to plans he should be in Holland a day or two. before Christmas, but in an interview he said that he cannot discard the possibility of not getting beyond America. Dr. Colijn proposes to spend three weeks in New Zealand. His object in visiting Australia arid New Zealand is to study tourist conditions. Questioned about the possible development of the X.P.M. service to New Zealand, Dr. Colijn said that the question was wrapped up in that of the cargoes offering- 'Australia andi- New Zealand produced very much the same sort of thing, and 'it Was difficult to induce an importer who had been dealing with Australian producers to buy from New Zealand. From the point of view of passenger traffic, the company had been amazed at the support that had come from New Zealand in so short a time.

In reply to a question as to the support being accorded the Dutch air line recently inaugurated to Australia, Dr. Colijn said that he could not say. that the planes were full. The company, the K.N.1.L.M., of course, had to face considerable competition from the Qantas Company, but his impression I was that the Dutch line, taking everything into consideration, was doing quite well. Dr. Colijn said he could not speak of economic conditions in Holland from first-hand knowledge, but the general impression .was that things were not /too good at the present time.