COLONIAL TRADE WITH THE CAPE

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1424, 15 June 1899, Page 52

COLONIAL TRADE WITH THE CAPE

SYDNEY. Thursday. Advices received from Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal Republic, state that three steamers specially designed for carrying live stock from Australia to South Africa are being built in England. DUNEDIN, Thursday. At the opening of the Winter Show yesterday the Premier, referring to the prospects of extending our markets to Cape Colony, said : —“lt is well known that New Zealand butter and cheese are sent from here to London and thence transhipped to the Cape. An offer lias now been made by a firm to run a steamer once a month for the purpose of taking produce from New Zealand to the Cape and to ports further on. The terms on which this offer is made are in my opinion most favourable. They are per lb for produce that goes into the refrigerating chamber and 40s per ton for other freights. I can say that the amount involved in obtaining such a service is a trifle compared with the great advantage conferred on the colony. The Government has sent a communication on the subject to the Chambers of Commerce and to the firms and cooperative firms likely to be exporters. If we combine, in my opinion, we can give tlie requisite freight and obtain the service without the colony being called on to pay a single penny piece in res-

pect cf the required guarantee. I believe there is a further market in India for our produce.” [Mr Seddon evidently refers to the offer of Messrs F. W. and P. Hudson, of Sydney, to run a direct line of steam*ers monthly from New Zealand t-o all the South African ports, including Beira and Delagoa, provided the New Zealand merchants will guarantee to ship two hundred tons of produce in the cool storage hold of tlie steamer every trip.]