THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, APRIL 12. 1887.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 7920, 12 April 1887, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, APRIL 12. 1887.

During the fifty years of Her Majesty's reign the commerce of Great Britain has, according to the statists, increased in value from £172,000,000 to £642,000,000. One enormous section of the increase is the trade with the Australasian colonies, which, indeed, was so trifling before that it may be said to have sprang into existence within the period. Thirty years ago, as a sequel to the gold discoveries, it had acquired such gigantic proportions, with certainties of commensurate development, that the monster ship Great Eastern was launched, having been specially designed and constructed for this trade. The Great Eastern, or Leviathan, as she was first called, was about twice the length, three times the horse power, and five times the tonnage of the largest steamer at that time traversing the seas. Her vast dimensions afforded for the object in view both advantages and disadvantages, and the mistake was made of overlooking the latter. It was anticipated that the carrying of mails, specie, passengers, and goods would bring immense dividends to her owners, but how could a vessel measuring nineteen or twenty thousand tons, and which was said to be capable of accommodating 4000 passengers, or for a short voyage even stowing away 10,000 —how could such a leviathan obtain the necessary amount of freights and fares 1 The consequence was that after being launched from that dockyard beside the Thames, no use was made of the big ship. She never was employed in any ocean trade, and among the unimportant services she has been put to our London correspondent says in his last letter that " this ship has lately been on exhibition at Dublin and Liverpool, and it is claimed has thereby netted some £20,000." However, there is a likelihood that after all she may now be applied to the purpose for which she was built, as his letter continues to say that the ship has just been bought for the London and Australian Steamship Company, with the intention, it is reported, of employing her in the carrying _ trade between England and Australia. The extraordinary amount of attention which in Europe is now directed to this side of the world, and the rapid commercial as well as political progress of these colonies, has no doubt suggested the idea of at last converting the Great Eastern

to the service for which she was originally intended. If the experiment should be tried the result will be awaited with no small curiosity. Thirty years ago, when the Great Eastern was launched, the voyage between England and Australia occupied sixty days, or nearly so. It was believed that the now ship would perform it in twenty days. Her immense length and engine power were relied on to accomplish twenty miles an hour. Not many years before that date the length of the largest steamer did not exceed 200 feet, but with arrangements which superseded the necessity for the capvoice being heard, namely, by bell signals for the engineers and visiblo signals for the steersman — vessels began to stretch out, and the length of the Great Eastern 679 feet, doubled that of any predecessor. Then her great size gave ample stowage room for coal, a matter of more consequence then than now when fuel can be much more economically used. In 1858 a ship could not steam all the way from England to the antipodes without stopping en route to refill her bunkers; but the size of the Great Eastern would enable her, even "with a full cargo of merchandise, to carry enough of coal to last for two months— in which time it was calculated she could more than run round the globe. It will be seen that the great size of the ship then offered extraordinary advantages, but there was the cardinal disadvantage that it rendered impossible a remunerative amount from cargo and passengers. There is not nowadays the large emigration of thirty years ago, although it is not impossible that a few years hence it may spring up again. On the other hand, the number of saloon passengers to and fro has multiplied, but now there are various competing routes offering different attractions. The mercantile traffic, however, has vastly enlarged, and the big ship, if laid on -as reported, must mainly depend upon that. As mentionod in our correspondent's letter, she would be refitted with new engines, and otherwise adapted to the improvements of recent years. Intercourse between Europe and the Pacific indeed undergoes a complete resolution. There are now three lines ! of railway across the North American continent; and three routes, more or less railway, across the South American continent are in project, or are already being opened. It is believed that numbers of visitors to these colonies 1 will avail themselves of the forthcoming railroad between Rio Janeiro and Valparaiso, while many with more time on hand will steam up the Amazon to view its virgin forests and mountain?, and so on by the line to Lima and Oallao, which the Peruvian Governj meut is now forming. By these two routes and the third one, the contemplated rail from Buenos Ayres to Valparaiso, the whole interior of South America must be unlocked to commerce. The construction of the Canadian railway from Atlantic to Pacific has rendered both to the Dominion and the Empire various services of peculiar j importance. Locally, it may be said to binder the break up of the Dominion, which was threatened by the clashing of interests. The old Canadian provinces had race jealousies, Manitoba objected to the tariff prescribed at Ottawa, British Columbia was angry over the Chinese question, there has been a secession movement in Nova Scotia, aud a portion of the New Brunswick press.advocated a maritime confederacy apart from the Canadas, and which should comprehend New | Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the islands, including Newfoundland, which has not yet joined the Dominion. ! But the completion of the Trans- , continental railway, with the common service it renders, is already allaying these interprovincial jealousies and occasions of quarrel. It has conferred on the Dominion a standing it had not before. It affords to the mother country a now highway to her Indian possessions; and with the establishment of the steam line proposed by the Canadian Government, the groups of British colonies in the north and south of this ocean will be regularly connected. With all this spirit of enterprise for communication with the Pacific, and within its bounds, it is childish to doubt that a work of such consequence as the cutting of the Panama isthmus will be fulfilled. M. Lesseps, interviewed the other day by the correspondent of the London Standard, spoke positively of the work being finished in the promised three years, and took occasion to correct the report that the canal is to have intersecting locks. He declares that it will be an open lino of water from sea to sea. The latest telegraphic news respecting the London markets are very favourable to the industries of this colony. New Zealand mutton was reported to be realising from fourpence to eixpence per lb, and lambs from fivepenca to sevenpence per lb. These are paying prices, and are obviously due either to an improved appreciation of the superior quality of the article exported from thie colony, or to a better arranged and more economical system of distribution. The probability is that bucli welcome results are due in part to both causes. As we have always maintained, the essential conditions of success in connection with the frozen meat export are the taking of precautions against the glutting of the markets and the adoption of measures to prevent the frozen mutton of New Zealand being bought tip by certain trade rings in London at ft cheap rate, and afterwards disposed of at greatly enhanced prices as the product of the United Kingdom. That our exports of this article have hitherto suffered from such tricks of trade ia undeniable, and the improved state of the market is accordingly the evidence that these disadvantages to which this staple export of the colony has been hitherto subjected are being overcome. The same assuring news respecting the state of the wool market has been forwarded. A little uncertain at first, the tone of the market during the present series of sales has improved, and the ratee of the February sales have been experienced. 'The number of bales catalogued was 137,000, and, while only 8500 were withdrawn, half the sales effected were for the purposes of export. This shows that the demand for the foreign market was active, which, as a rule, ia a healthy sign. On the whole, the commercial intelligence respecting the homo markets is cheering, and supplies a welcome aftßurance that the superior quality of our New Zealand exports, when judiciously placed on the markets of tho United Kingdom, will gradually command the favour they are intrinsically entitled to.

The Imperial Parliament resumes its sittings to«day, after the adjournment for the Easter holidays. And, as a matter of course, the consideration of the Crimes Bill, in favour of which precedence was voted in the House of Commons, : will at once be resumed. The desire of the Government, as will be recollected, was to have the second reading of this Bill passed before the Easter holidays commenced ; and it was even agreed upon at a meeting of the Conservatives that, in order to facilitate the passage of the Bill, the House should sit during the holidays. The object of Mr. Gladstone and his followers was, of course, to defeat this purpose, and to employ the interval, which they expected to secure, in organising an opposition to the adoption of coercive measures for Ireland. The Government could, no doubt, have carried out their premeditated purpose if they had so wished ; but they yet have acted wisely in not taking advantage of their strength, and in resolving to allow the Opposition to have the fullest scope. From the adoption of such tactics they neutralise any advantage they may have given to their foes ; for it will thus appear before the public that their only reason in demanding despatch was that- the expeditious passage of the Crimos Bill was neoeasary to' the security of life and property in Ireland. But the observance of the statu quo has been respected in anything but an honourable way by the leaders of the Opposition. The Radical portion thereof has, as will be seen, been organising a series of meetings in different parts of the metropolis with the 'view of exciting the people against the aims of the Crimes Act. These political tactics were organised under the auspices of Mr. Gladetpne, who has reverted to his old Bulgarian attrocity tactics ; and though he does not appear to have been present at any of the assemblages, those present were yet addressed by his henchman, Mr, John Morley, and other Radical leaders ; and, of course, resolutions condemnatory of coercion were adopted. This procedure is not at all likely to have any prejudicial effect on the passage of the Bill, while, by conceding to. Parliament the usual advantage of the holidays,the Government will feel themselves in a stronger position for putting down any obstructive tactics. To grant concessions, but yet in such a way as will facilitate the purpose they have in hand, is the primary duty of statesmen.