NORTH OF ENGLAND MARKETS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15550, 6 March 1914, Page 6

NORTH OF ENGLAND MARKETS.

The inauguration by the New Zealand Shipping Company of a monthly service between New Zealand ports and Hull is an important trade development. Hull is a convenient distributing point for the important Yorkshire markets, and it will probably be found advantageous to ship to Hull a large proportion of the produce destined for consumption north of Birmingham. It would be unreasonable to expect an immediate expansion in the volume of trade to follow the inauguration of the new service, because the North of England markets are already supplied through London, but a direct service will in time develop the local markets and result in a net gain in trade. The advantages claimed for Hull as a distributing centre for th2 north of England are that produce will be subject to less handling, and that railway freight and brokerage charges will be diminished. The port of Hull is served by two railway systems, and has trade communications with Continental and other British portß. The population within a radius of 10 miles is 327,000, but the strictly local market is unimportant compared with such centres as Leeds, Bradford, and Sheffield. The advisability of having direct communication with the north of England was urged by many witnesses before the Dominions Royal Commission two years ago. Major Norton (Trade Commissioner for South Australia) gave comparative figures to show that such important centres as Birmingham, Bradford, Derby, Halifax, Leeds, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, and Sunderland could be more cheaply served from Hull than from London. The charges on a ton of frozen mutton delivered in Leeds were given at 38s 6d from Hull against 70s 9d, from London, including receiving from ship, conveyance to cold store, rent for 28 days, and weighing. The establishment of a direct service from New Zealand to the West Coast of England had valuable results, and the new venture merits the same success.