AN AUCKLANDER'S VISIT TO AUSTRALIA?

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12695, 25 October 1904, Page 3

AN AUCKLANDER'S VISIT TO AUSTRALIA?

INTERESTING chat with MR * MAURICE CASEY. "

■ Yestebdat. a Hebald representative had an. 1 interesting chat with Mr. j Maurice Casey, a member of the Auckland City Council] who a few days ago returned from an ex' tended trip in Australia. During the tour 1 through ' the Commonwealth States ' Mr. J Casey specially interred himself in gathering information likely to prove of value to the port and city of Auckland, and, naturally enough, one of .the first matters ;,to claim his attention were the up-to-date facilities for the loading and unloading of vessels in-Sydney, where the arrangement of the sheds oh the wharves and the endless chain system connecting shipping and sheds enables the work to be carriixl out with remarkable despatch and at a minimum of cost. In this connection he- is- strongly of opinion that the Auckland Harbour, Board should, in view of the extensive alterations contemplated, take a hint from the Sydney authorities.

"I suppose you had a look at the refuse destructors. Mr. C&iiey?" queried thereporter. "Yes; I saw both the Moore Park and Annandale destructors,' and made inquiries concerning their capacity and working. The refuse is all removed at night, and the Moore Park destructor consumes up to 60 tons of refuse per day of 24 hours, at a cost of 2s per ton. It appears to • work very well, but I noticed that it would- not consume fruit or vegetable refuse— stuff— which means that refuse of this paiticular kind has to be otherwise disposed of. A certain amount of coal has to be used in the destruction of the ordinary house refuue, and in both cases I found that the destructors were only capable of providing sufficient power to drive the blast necessary to deal with the refuse, which means that we must not'look to the Auckland destructor to provide power for other, purposes, . as has been suggested by some members of the Council,, who thought they saw in the provision ol additional power for the use of private people a means of minimising the cost to the city of dealing with the refuse. The Annandale destructor, which, I understand, is similar to the one to be erected in Auckland, did not impress me as being as good as the destructor at Moore Park." : ..:

"As to the tram service?" " Well, the one thing that'struck me most with regard to the Sydney tram service was the use of the air brake. To the use of this I largely attribute the comparative immunity from accidents, and certainly think that in the interests of public safety similar brakes should be attached to the Auckland cars. They have the emergency brake as well as the air brake, but it is the despatch and ease with which the latter can be worked and the prompt response of the car to its manipulation that averts > many accidents." ' , ■ .'--,; ■' ''

" Did you look into the question of railway facilities and management?" , " Only in a casual way. The point that struck me most forcibly was the easts with which the railway authorities handle huge crowds on tMo and show days,*due solely to the up-to-date arrangements at the stations. Incoming; passengers make their exit the one way; the outgoing passengers enter by another; the classes) have separate means of obtaining their tickets, and there is -no conflict between incomers and outgoers, no bustling and jostling such as we experience on the railway platforms in thia colony with only one platform for arrival and departure." ' ; : .

"I suppose you visited the Bojal Victorian Agricultural Show?" . . "Yes, I visited the big Victorian 1 show and the show at Adelaide. The live.stock exhibits were, -of course, more numerous than we are in the habit of seeing on this side, but in point of quality the stock shown in this colony bears very favourable comparison with what I saw in Australia. The only thing that struck me was the common practice among exhibitors in the machinery and implement sections of showing the utility, of their exhibits by keeping, the,'machines and implements in operation during the show. This lent added interest' to the exhibits and gave intending buyers ail idea, of the value to them of the particular: machines and implements', they .contemplated securing. Jt would certainly add to the attractiveness of agricultural shows here 'if exhibitors would set the machinery exhibits in motion." \ . ; :■ ..' ■...'■'• , <[.• • •-

"How are the wheat crops looking?" "In my travels,l passed throughimmense tracts of wheat, and, generally speaking,, the crops looked promising, though I wis -informed that they will not be quite as heavy as was the case last year. . A very large percentage of the wheat crops in Australia is raised on what is known as the 'halve,*' system, the one side supplying the labour the other the capital. The profits are equally divided and the system seems to work satisfactorily." "As to the mining industry?" - "While in South Australia I visited the Broken Hill mines, and through an introduction by i an old Thames friend, Mr. Walter Sully, was enabled to thoroughly examine the Proprietary Company's property,' where the minerals won are lead and : zinc. About 6000 men and 100 horses are employed underground in..;; this . property, and the lead, which is about 200 yards wide, - has been worked for upwards of three-quar-ters of a mile on what is known as the open cut system. Going on to West Australia I went out to the Kalgobrlie goldfieldsjjyhere I had the good fortune to meet another old Thamesit© in the, person of Mr. J.!; McDermott, who has. charge of the Ivanhoe mine, a valuable property in the golden mile area. Although the mines in the west turned out 69 tons of gold last year—one property has been turning out the precious metal at the rate of a ton per annum for some considerable time—the industry is still in its infancy. Huge tracts of country, a large proportion of which must be goldbearing, have not yet; been touched, and that the country has not been more widely prospected is no doubt due to the difficulty in ■< locating- the gold-bearing : ; areas. '': 'Not being broken! and undulating like the goldbearing areas in the Auckland district, it is necessary tc resort, to trenching to-locate the gold, and this is a decidedly expensive and speculative process, especially in a country where labour is so clear."