THE WORLD'S CAPITAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18750, 2 January 1923, Page 5

THE WORLD'S CAPITAL

VISITOR FROM CONDON INTERVIEWED. Captain A. W. Pearso, the representative of the Port of London Authority for New Zealand and Australia, is at present a visitor to Dunedin. He has been visiting all the New Zealand porta, and has shown Urns depicting many of the activities and operations of the authority, such as the loading and discharging of cargo by conveyors, pictures of the extensive docks and their wonderful ramifications. Those pictures have been shown by Captain Pearse in all the principal cities and towns of Australia, and have been extremely interesting to all who have seen them. Ho is endeavouring to arrange for their exhibition in Dunedin. Chatting with a representative of the Times. Captain Fenrse said: “Within a radius of 10 miles of London, or within one hour’s radius by motor van, there is a population of over eight millions, who constitute the most insatiable market ever known in the history of mankind. Radiating from London are nine railway systems to every part of the kingdom, against three systems from Manchester or Liverpool. Eondon is the tourists’ world centre. Hundreds of huge hotels are crammed with visitors from all parts of the world, probably there are 1,000,000 annually, and in addition to this all the largo fashionable or popular seaside resorts obtain their supplies irom London. No other city has this additional market to oiler. There is always a market for everything and everything can be sold, whereas it has happened that too much lias been sent to certain outports at times m the past, and heavy railway charges have had to be paid to send it to London for sale. xnat anyone conversant with the wool business, for instance, would imagine that better prices could bo obtained at Manchester than at an international market such as London, because Manchester is a tow miles nearer to Bradford, where some of the wool is wanted, is almost unbelievable. Owing to tho restricted market, the chances are that a lesser price would ho obtained. Further, it is questionable whether the Continental buyers who form a powerful buying section at the London sales would trouble to go all tho way across England to bid for wools at a small sale, -line is money with these people, London ajso has a social and business attraction both for the English and the Continental buyer, which no provincial city can give. ' the Dominions’ Royal Commission, after a thorough investigation of all the ports, reported as follows: —‘The largest proportion of produce from the dominions, and especi--1 ally that from Australia and New Zealand, conies through the Fort of London, which is the best market in the world, and, further, a market where not only are high prices obtained, but where it is always possible to find a buyer and also the advantage in regard to finance and insurance not obtainable at other ports. Wo think the dominions are entitled to ask for all possible facilities in regard to the handling .and disposal of their produce, and the action of the Authority has been energetic, and it appears to have taken a fairly wide view of the improvements immediately needed.' Almost every improvement required as regards loading and discharging has been provided at London, and several million pounds are being spent to effect further improvements. Big works are being carried out, including an ocean passenger landing stage at Tilbury, 1700 ft long, having deep water at all tides, and a new dock larger than tho King George V dock, which is the best equipped in the world, at the north side of the dock. The magnificent warehouses and sorting shed for frozen produce at the Royal Albert Dock are fitted with every known device for securing the most careful handling of the frozen products during discharge from ship and manipulation in warehouse. Captain Pearse will leave to-morrow for Christchurch, where his films are to be shown at the Exhibition.