DIRECT STEAMERS TO AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7164, 1 November 1884, Page 6

DIRECT STEAMERS TO AUCKLAND.

TO THE EDITOR. Sik,—Little over a year ago considerable "gush" was indulged in over the arrival of the first direct steamer from London to Auckland. So pleased were the people of this great seaport that the Harbour Board remitted all port charges on that occasion, and merchants, property owners, and artisans vied with each other ia doing all in their power to ensure the establishment of direct steam communication with the world's metropolis. Other steamers followed — the Triumph, the Doric, the Euapehn, and the lonic, and were fairly patronised by paasengers, and with cargo, inwards and outwards, and would have been much more largely supported had there been any certainty as to their dates of departure, either from London or Auckland. This latter difficulty was expected to be remedied when the new steamers of Shaw, SavilPs fleet, and of theN.Z. Shipping Co. were added to those already ia the trade. Xt was believed that the Kaapehu would have come to Auckland this month, to be. followed by the Arawa and the Kaikoura. Now, what do we find ? —That not one of these boats is coming to Auckland, and that, bo far as can be ascertained here, arrangements have been made for transhipping all future cargo or passengers from or to Auckland at one of the Southern ports. By any such arrangement as this, Auckland, with its safe harbour, deep water, large dock, or other facilities, will have to pay a double freight, and will be in. little or no better position, commercially, than such ports of call as Taranaki or Napier. It may be said that this ia a private matter, and that it can do no good to write to the papers abont it, as the large steamship companies will only send their boats where it will pay to send them. Such an argument must imply that, whereas it paid to send the steamers direct here last yusr, now some circumstances have arisen which render it Undesirable that they should be sent. I think it is of the utmost importance to this place that such circumstances, if they have any existence, shall be promptly enquired into, and if it is proved that the just claims of Auckland are being ignored by the proprietors of these steamers, then the remedy is in the hands of the travelling publio and of our merchants, who will be Justified, in self-defence, of supporting the numerous lines of steamers via Sydney or Melbourne, in preference to giving a commercial preeminence to Wellington at our expense, which they are not entitled to. Probably a more efficient remedy would be to make arrangements with some other steamship owners to take up the direct trade, as the people of Oamaru have done.—l am, &c, J.