DIRECT STEAM SERVICE TO OTAGO.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6065, 26 April 1881, Page 5

DIRECT STEAM SERVICE TO OTAGO.

[by telegraph.—own corbespondext. J , . ......•'■ Dujjedin, Monday. . At the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce committee to-day, Mr.' J. T. McKerras said : in asking to meet: this committee was to bring before you the subject of direct steam communication with. Britain, and to ascertain how far and in what direction the Chamber, of Commerce : should, act., in : .the matter.- I think that ; the' time has-arrived for taking the necessary steps to have .a monthly.liu'e of steamers established. The. facility afforded by a- line of steamers to Melbourne, lias.shown that large quantities I 1 of our goods cau be imported by steamers to advantage. Importers are! thus so farpre-. pared that a direct line of steamers with New ;Zealand should be established, and to accord to it a large amount of support. The value alone of soft, goods imported. intoDunedin for the six months which ended January, last, was £300,000, and the tonnage, about 5000 tons/ With a direct steamer doing the passage, say in fifty days, and charging freight of 60s per ton (the through freight by ■ way of Melbourne being SOs), a. very large proportion of this quantity would be sent by steamer; and : considerable quantities of merchandise would also be'sent by this speedy, means to tranship. Say that half the quantity of drapery imported came by steamer,, it would give a monthly freight of. over 400 tons, audit would surely be within the mark to say that 200 tons in addition, might safely be calculated on, as covering other goods, thus giving 600 tons monthly for Otago alone. ■ I feel confident that .Canterbury and Wellington would: give ; an equal amount of tonnage. Besides: we now have the prospect, if not certainty, of a large development, of our export trade —fresh meat, butter, and cheese, under the freezing process ; and a necessary condition to success of this new country is the establishment of a direct line of steamers, thus giving freight both ways as well as securing for ourselves the advantages of the increasing passenger traffic. I think I have shown that there at all events fair prospects of freight for adirect line of steamers. We have at present a magnificent, line of steamers doing coastal and intercolonial trade, under a management not surpassed in' the world, and I believe the Union Steamship Company,with ' their usual enterprise, will be prepared to meet the case. I would suggest that a sub-com-mittee be appointed by the Chamber to inter; view the directors of the Union Company with ,the view of ascertaining how far they are prepared to provide for the necessity which now : exists of haying . a direct line with Great Britain. I , bclieye if the -Union Company would enlarge their capital, to provide the necessary' vessels suited for this trade, that such is the confidence in the management of the company, and in the prospects o£ a payable business being done by a direct line, that a sufficient number of shares would at once be taken' up to warrant the project being immediately started. I would also suggest that the Government be memorialised to discontinue the subsidy •granted to the Sau Francisco service, and that, instead, the subsidy should be granted to a direct line of steamers, either by an annual payment, of say, £20,000 for five years, or by guaranteeing three per cent, interest for a like number of years, conditionally on the line of steamers doing the passage in not less than fifty days, making Port Chalmers, Lyttelton, and Wellington the pbrts of call, returning to Europe in the reverse order, thus constituting Port Chalmers the port of departure. ' I should also mention that such aline of steamers a3_ is proposed would largely aid in developing our valuable coal supplies, as the vessels could be coaled at Wellington as cheaply as at Melbourne. The high character of our new lead of coal, both for steam and ga3 purposes,>' is now fully established, and with such a demand as these boats would create, the coal companies would speedilj introduce colliers of light draught, capable of carrying coal at a minimum of' freight, I hope you will give the matter your carefu consideration, and that the result may b( that we shall shortly have a steamer direel from England, under the flag of the Unioi Company.' '