PORT OF BRISTOL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 14047, 18 July 1916, Page 7

PORT OF BRISTOL

♦ "GATEWAY OF THE WEST." Speaking at a dinner given m Mansion House m connection with a civic reception tendered' to overseas statesmen at Bristol m May last, the Hon. Thos, Mackenzie, High Commissioner for New. Zealand, who was the chief guest of the evening, said he admired the enterprise of Bristol.' The citizens had shown that they had all the grit and go of those men who made Bristol famous m times gone by. He had been over the docks that afternoon. He saw them years ago, and he had no hesitation m saying that for the handling of delicate goods he had seen nothing finer than ft Bristol. At the time of his last visit to Bristol docks the depreciation m value of New Zealand goods by London handling was a farthing per lb. If every pound so depreciated the total loss would be £437.000 a year to New Zealand. The enterprise of Bristol had altered that, and enormous improvements m handling had been effected m London. He was no believer m concentration at any one port of a country's trade, but he recognised that Bristol was the gateway of the west, and as such had a great value for New Zealand. Mr. Hughes, the Prune Minister of Australia, also visited the Bristol docks on the same occasion, and was much impressed by the excellent equipment of tho docks and by the large amount of land still available for sites for manufactures, especially on the further side of the Great Western Railway. There was about 75,000 tonnage of shipping m dock at the time of the visit.