"THE GATEWAY OF THE WEST"

Evening Star, Issue 14187, 12 October 1909, Page 6

"THE GATEWAY OF THE WEST"

OPEN TO NEW ZEALAND;

OUR TRADE POSSIBILITIES WITH HOME. .

Old England—"sleepy, decadent England "—is still a Land of Optimists, iB yet a hive of industry and. commerce.' When the people- of. an English city willingly agree to'be taxed at the rate of 9s in the £ in_ order -to widen their sphere of commercial operations, and attract the trade of their oversea kinsmen, whose needs grow with the passing years, the talk of British decadence is no more than contemptible mouthing. 'The Port of Bristol has opened its. arms to the commercial requirements, of the Commonwealth of Australia, _ and of* New Zealand in particular. That is the message brought to this far country r by a delegate to the British Chambers of Commerce Conference—Mr Henry L. Riseley, who was High Sheriff of Bris'tol during 1905-06, and who readily agreed to speak to a 'Stir' reporter this morning.

■" One of the principal objects of my journey, along with my colleague, Mr Palliser Martin," said Mr'Hiseley, "is to find out the means of establishing a direct and rapid service of steamers from New Zealand ports to Bristol's new docks at Avonmouth." The Chamber of Commerce Conference was. really a secondary matter. The City of Bristol has, indeed, opened its arni6 to the commercial requirements of the Commonwealth of Australia, and of New Zealand in particular. The establishment of this direct, rapid .communication opens up vast possibilities of trade. The Port of Bristol is well named "the Gateway of the West." It is the cheapest and best. Within a hundred miles radius you can serve a population of 10,000,000 The new King Edward docks at Avonmouth are' equipped with granaries, elevators, cold sto-es, adjoining quays, electric, steam, and hydraulic cranes. * There are railway lines alongside the rt camera' berths at all the docks. And there is one of the finest, graving docks in the world, capable of taking H.M.S. Dreadnought or the Cunard liner Mauretania. ho, you see, there is every faciilty for dealing .with oversea traffic in the most expeditious manner possible. Goods aro handled so quickly that within a few hours they are placed upon the markets in various parts of the Uniied Kingdom Speed is one of the chief necessities in successful trade. The expenditure on shipping improvements involves the citizens of Bristol in rates of 9s in the £, but the people of Bristol consider it worth their while to go to this enormous expense to provide commercial facilities for oversea traffic.

—New Zealand's Need.—

What appears to us to be a requisite is that the merchants and shippers in Aew Zealand should join hands with our good friends in Bristol to bring about a quick despatch and rapid transit of our exports to Bristol with all its possibilities If this can be brought about during o ur visit, much advantage will accrue to New Zealand. The transit of New Zealand goods to Bristol should not 'take longer than forty or forty-one days: longer than that, and there is a possibility of the markets being lost, and much confusion and irritation caused. With a rapid, direct, service all that would be avoided and commercial advantage gained for all concerned. The advantages of establishing such a-service between New Zealand ports and Bristol direct, are numerous. Tho average saving on Australasian produce via Bristol-Avonmouth dock is considerable Here are the statistics:

Average save on Australian produce via Bristol-Avonmoiilh dock—As against Liverpool to Birmingham, 2s lid per ton: as against London.to Birmingham 6s od per ton; as against Hull to Birmingham, 7s 4d per ton; as against Liverpool to Cardiff, 12s 6d per ton ; as against London to Cardiff. 16s lid per ton. ' Average save on exports to Australia via Bristol-Avonmouth dock—As against Birmingham to Liverpool, 2s 4Jd per ton : as against Birmingham to London, 5s Id per ton ; as against Birmingham to Hull. 6s 2d per ton ; as against Cardiff to Liverpool, 14s lid per ton. —Progressive Bristol.—

Speaking of Bristol, Mr Riseley mentioned Unit it was interesting to recall the fact that, the Prime Minister of New Zealand had conferred upon him the honorary freedom of __ the historic city of Bristol '•Bristol is indeed a. city of progress. The citizens sj)eiit several million pounds sterling on their new docks, having absolute faitli in the possibilities of trade with oversea countries. Tor ecclesiastic, philanthropic, educational, and high moral standards Bristol-stands unrivalled amongst the great cities of the Empire. Its chief attraction is the art gallery, the munificent Hi ft of Lord Wintersloke. The Bristol University is now an accomplished fact, the Royal Charter having now been obtained. It is well supplied with, school* and a. technical college, affiliated with the Bristol University. The Grammar School is one of the best d.-vy schools in the country, many of Bristol's leading citizens owing their success in life to the excellent educational foundation they received there.

—lmpressions of Australasia.—

"From the moment I landed at Frem a title," continued Mr Riseley. "inquiries have, been made at every- place 1 have visited as to my impressions. We come as visitors, and you are our hosts. We did not come to'criticise, but to admire. Whilst we were not astonished at Melbourne or Sydney—these names are household words in England—we were lost in admiration at the happiness of the people, and the high slate of municipal life in such places as Ballarat. Bondigo. Launceston, Hohn-rt, and the like, take Bendi.go. for instance. Instead of a canvas town occupied by diggers, as ]>erhaps would be the belief in the Old Country, we found courts of justice, a iin-e town hall, a public hall, an art gallery (the value of which as a means of elevating the minds of the people cannot be over-estimated), a. school of mines with up-to-date equipment, beautiful public gardens. All these in a place with a population of 24.000 and a rate of Is 3d in the £!" He also spoko well of Launceston and Hobart, and reminded out reporter that he had not yet bad time to see much of Now Zealand. In conclusion, Mr Rii-eley said that Mr Martin ami he would be visiting other places in the Dominion, and any communication addressed to them at any one ot the Chambers of Commerce would receive attention.