THE ISLANDS TRADE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15660, 14 July 1914, Page 8

THE ISLANDS TRADE.

BETTER SERVICE WANTED.

LOSSES OF MERCHANTS.

PROTEST TO UNION COMPANY.

Established commercial relations between I Auckland and the Pacific Islands are! stated by Mr. Bart. Kent, president of the Chamber of Commerce, in a letter addressed yesterday to the managing director, of the Union Steam Ship Company, to j have been seriously injured by the curtail- i ment of the steamer service. Ho urges: that the import-mice of the- trado and the j serious loss involved by its depreciation j warrant a careful reconsideration of the company's island service. The changes made in the steamer 3ervice between Auckland and the Pacific' Islands are- fully reviewed by Mr. Kent : in his letter. Ho states that during a I long time prior to the strike of last year I Auckland had tho benefit of three vessels ! employed in the island fruit, produce, and : passenger trade, tho Tofna and tho Atua engaged in the round trip between Auckland, tho islands, and Sydney, and the ; Navua trading regularly between tho • Fiji Group and Auckland. At the time of the strike, and without any warning, both the Tofua and the Atua were withdrawn, and at tho present time the orJy vessel catering for the whole of the very valu- j able island fruit and produce trade is thb i Navua, "It Ls obvious that the steamer j accommodation afforded this port in the island trade has been most seriously cur- i tailed." Mr. Kent states, "and underthoj new arrangement a great many mer- j chants, who previously had an extensive • and valuable connection with the islands generally, are finding their trade swiftly slipping away from them." Recalling the promise made by the managing director of the company to reopen the matter if the curtailed service proved to bo still unsatisfactory after four ' or fivo months, Mr. Kent states that mer- j chants in the city are feeling so serious a I loss in their island trado that they have! resumed their representations to tho Chamber of Commerce with a view to persuading tho Union Company to rourtto the original sorvice. The revenue now belli" lost to the city, he adds, is from 50 to 75 per cont. of the whole connection, so that the matter requires the best attention of all concerned. A full representative deputation waited on the council of, the Chamber of Commerce on Friday. The ! strongest possible protest was made against the present lack of steamer com- • munication, more particularly with the i Tongan Group. "At the moment of writ-' ing," Mr. Kent continues, " I have before me a list of the names of some, 30 or 40 merchants in this city whose island trado, which up till a short time ago was very large and valuable, is simply being ruined by the present lack of facilities for carrying on their business, and it is now respectfully urged upon you that this matter be immediately reopened with a view to bringing j relief from the present ruinous j situation, and so allow our mer- j chants and island traders generally the fair field for their operations. At present the handicap is .unreasonably severe, and by some means or another, even if outeido help has to be obtained, it must be greatly improved." The complaint made regarding the shutting out of cargo at Rarolonga from the San Francisco steamers owing to observance of the contract with tho French Government has also been referred to the Union Company with a request that it should make careful inquiry- with a view to effecting an early remedy as the loss to merchants is very largo and should be wholly unnecessary. Mr. Kent has addressed copies of the correspondence to the Prime Minister, with a request that inquiry should lie made regarding the operation of tho French contract to tho injury of New Zealand shippers.