A RETURNED COLONIST.

Otago Witness, 5 December 1900, Page 10

A RETURNED COLONIST.

THE SAN FRANCISCO SERVICE. (From Ooft Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, November 22. Mr J. G-. Smith, formerly member for Christchurch, has returned from a business j trip to America and England. During hfs I absence from the colony he travelled "very, j quickly, and appears to have seen a great deal during the month he spent in America and a similar time spent in England. While he was at Home the elections to the .British Parliament were contested. The keynote of success appeared to 1 be loyalty a ? d .J nn P cr i alism - The Imperialism displayed by the colonies was an important factor in the return of the Conservative party. Wherever there .was a Liberal who was at all anti-Imperial, added Mr Smith, he went down. A great deal of interest; was taken in the colonies, and especially in New Zealand. Mr"" Smith found business very -brisk, both in America and -Great J^ntain, and now that Mr MTCinley has been re-elected he thinks we can look for three years of? prosperity in regard to general trade. Incidentally Mr Smith mentioned rather a characteristic incident as showing the idea of returning colonials. When the mail steamer- '.got to Auckland the first -question the. New Zealanders asked was, "Did Mr M'Kinley get in." The Australians, on the other hand, wanted to know "What horse won the Melbourne Cup?" The announcement of Mr M'Kinley's return was- celebrated with -three cheers. In America Mr Smith found that the Americans at the -time of his visit were ( also busy electioneering. At the same time, however, they appeared on a very keen scent after the almighty dollar. He saw acres of machinery in the different factories he visited, and what surprised! him most was the manner in which the electricians had harnessed electricity for motive power. They even generated electricity by steam, and then used it as the motive power — a plan which, it is stated, cannot be successfully carried out in NewZealand. With the Waimakiriri at the doors of Christchurch, Mr Smith thinks that electricity should ere long be the motive power for all the principal industries in . the City of the Plains. He found! that skilled workmen -in -America were fairly well paid, but they worked"Tiarder and longer" lours than-New Zealand workmen, while the cost of living was also greater in. -America. Mr Smith was Very, severe on* the San Francisco service. Except that it is the shortest route to England, it is, he says, a route to be avoided.The trip down from San Francisco was anything but pleasant, and very few of the passengers would ever travel by the Alaaneda again. Some of the officers were courteous, but in others there was considerable room for improvement. The boat herself should be consigned to the American coastal trade. There were loud complaints about the restrictions on British shipping at Honolulu. Even American manufacturers were of opinion that these restrictions should be removed, as they were interfering with their trade. The colonial passengers on the Alameda were decidedly of opinion that the Government of New Zealand instead of subsidising an American line so' largely as they are doing at present should make every endeavour possible tc establish a Vancouver service on a permanent footing. At present "we appeared to be largely subsidising an American line, to the assistance of American exporters. Mr Smith points out that if an, " all-red " line is established via Vanccraver the British vessels could then call at Honolulu, and proceed thence to Vanco.uyer, thus avoiding the American coastal shipping law restrictions. Mr Smith goes south in the Tarawera to-night.