THE VANCOUVER MAIL ROUTE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 10360, 21 July 1896, Page 4

THE VANCOUVER MAIL ROUTE.

INTERVIEW WITH MR HUD- f DAKT'S REPRESENTATIVE. S Mr Robert Grayson, representing Mr James Huddart, of the Canadian-Aus-tralia Steamship Line, which conducts a service betweon Sydney ond Vancouver, ■ is at present in Wellington, and n repro- f sentative of the Evening Post who called upon hlra obtained some information as to the commercial and other advantages whloh he believes would accrue to this colony iv the event of its subsidising tho Vanoonvor service. SOME REASONS FOX A SUBSIDY, «' The question of the company extending its operations fo New Zealand," said Mr Grayson, " has from time to time been brought up, and at more than one of bhe Postal Conferences the Postmaster--1 General of New Zealand had said that the J Government of his colony was vory dosirous of being associated with this service, Tbe company also wns willing to run its steamers to any New Zealand port, but it naturally means that in order to do so it would be necessary for it to place on tbe line another steamship, aB the service at present operating between Sydney and Vancouver is a monthly one, and ls conducted by two steamers. In year very able leading article of the Bth Instant I notice yon made mention of the faot that It wonld be possible to conneot with onr Vancouver steamer by a forked service from ■ Auckland to Suva. I may point out, however, that this would be lmpracticable, for the reason tbat, as onr steamships are sailing at presont on a calendar month time-table, not every fonr weeks, tbey wonld, of course, inevitably clash with the Ssn Francisco servioe from time to time, and would not, therefore, give the alternate fortnightly service which, I understand, is so mnch desired for commercial and other reasons. "I may Boy that our company considered the question of initiating this forked servlco, but for the reasons just given could not adopt it. The company had, therefore, to consider the whole of the circumstances of tbe question, and I moy say that it was only after very lengthy negotiations with the late Colonial Treasurer, Mr Ward, that a provisional understanding was arrived at —namely, that tha Canadian-Australian Steamship Company would ba prepared to at once establlah a four-weekly service between New Z island nnd Canada in consideration of the company receiving a subsidy of £20,003 per annum. "I have only recently retnrnod from Canada after having intatviewed practically the whole of tho members of tbe late Government, ns well as the Hon. Mr Wilfred Lfturlev, the now Premier ; aud tha feeling throughout Canada la certainly very strongly in favor of having direct steamer connection with New Zealand. POSTAL ADVANTAGES AND A BIG TOUEIST TRAFFIC. "lb appears to me that from a postal point of view this colony would reoeive great advantages and largely Increased earnings by reason of increased correspondence. It would only mean the transferenoe of correspondence whioh largely goes now via Suez ond direct Bteainers, which would be very largely augmented, as in business circles it ta alwaya fonnd that the greater the facilities tb3 moro adventsge is taken of tliem. "It is also a fact that a great and increasing tourist traffic ia being brought over the Canadian Pacific railway, and the attractions of New Zsal<uid as a tourist country are world-renowned, It Ib reasonable, therefore, to believe that a large percentage of the tourist traffic can be brought over via the CanadlanPaclfio railwnv and the Vancouver steamers to New Zealand. It has bean found Binee the establishment ol the Vancouver service to Sydney that a large number of the peopla who travel on the line aro European tourists ; and, as the oompany has now a very complete round-the-world service, New Zealand would ba brought diteotly into tbls. A MARKET FOR OUR PRODUCE. " Dealing with the service from a trade point ot view, the fact ls beyond question that at present British Columbia, at which the steamers would oall, imports largely produce which this colony exports, and imports much of that produce from the United States, It is well-known that the feeling in Canada would be strongly in favor of importing from thiß colony. I find the official returns of British Columbia imports in some of tho principal lines, in all of which New Zaaland is interested, for the year ending 1894 to ba as follows ; —Bacon, bams, and lard, value 340,000 dollars ; beef, mutton, pork, and ponltry, about 100,000 dollars ; canned meats, 71,000 dollars ; wheat and flour, 400,000 dollars; bran and mill feed, 77,000 dollars ; oats (a market which New Zealand oould control absolutely), 70,000 dollars, ITOOL AND TIMBER — A DOUBT REMOVED. "So far as the question of wool lis concerned, it Is well known that the Canadians pnrohase their wool in the Boston market, bnt since the Vancouver line has ! been established tbey have handled quite a large quantity of wool for the Boston market, because they have been able to make arrangements in conjunction with the Canadian Pacific Railway aud land woo! from Sydney into Boaton within five weeks, os against four to five months taijen by sailing vessel?, There is no earthly reason why New Eealand should not have a chare of the Boston wool market. " I understand that some time ago fear was expressed that, in the nveat of these steamers coming to New Zealand, they would he loaded np with 'iinber, which ' would come into competition with your local kauri. I need eoarcaly say that the steamshipsof our line arenotllkelyto bring down any timber and 1.-.nd it at a port of call, It is a fact, of oourse, that the steamers bßve on one or two occasions Garried timber to Sydney for filling purposes, but they certainly would not take any for a New Zealand port, The Sydney market alone wou'd take all tho timber the steamers could bring if wa desired it, but I am glad to say that we are not now oarrying any, and are not likely to do so in the future. "And so far as Canadian goods are concerned, we know of no articles other than those which at present come to this colony which would be likely to enter into competition with lopal productions— in fact, the cqmpauy believes that it would simply mean an exchange of natural products between the two countries.