AUSTRALIAN IMPRESSIONS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 15080, 1 December 1919, Page 9

AUSTRALIAN IMPRESSIONS.

A GISBORNITE'S VISIT

I . Mr M. C. Walker, formerly manager • of the firm of C Aitken and .Sons, Ltd., Gisborne, has just- returned from a. visit, ■ : to -Aiistrnlin extpnding'. ov^r a period of ; rilmoat three months, i In tho course of n chat with a. Her.iJd ! reporter to-d;iy, Mr Walker 'said that; when ho arrived m Sydney there was an acute shortage- of ,<jugar, and this, was iollowed" by the; bakers' striko. Mr Walker combined business with i>leaRiivo, and was quite satisfied with his success m this, direction. Tho firm of • Aitkea and Sons, m which he still retains aii interest, lias established offices •m Weliingtms, Auckland and Sydney, and Mj" Waiker is going to Wellington! to. take charge' of the office there. s "The shipping from Melbourne is very acute," ho said, "and. I was informed by business men that 20,000 tons of cargp had been 1 awaiting shipment for: 'j. nearly six months. This position had j sinae . been eased a little by two large shipments, which, arrived at New Zealand ports recently." Manufacturers generally seemed very busy, and the Gpyernmmit was Saying itself j out to liolp them by prohibiting for import most of the lines which can be manufactured, m Australia . Large consignment^ of chocolate were being sent to London by- Australian-*' manufacturers. Boot-maaimfacturiiig- is also getting m a very big way. . Mr Walker was present at the MelboiiinieS t?np- meeting, whicE was attends ed by , 149,000 people., 'In a.ll ( accommodation was taxed 'to; v the • limit, anti-after. the .. meeting, : people were leaving by tram.C:albhe";a^ ih& rate 1 of 2000 pef'day." "Tho traiias -hi* Australia were stated by somo •. -American tourists to exceed 'm con>forfc V^hc Canadian Caclfic railway. Electric tra^'ins were much m evidence fot the suburban trains. running out 20 and ,3Q--.rnil^s from lihe city.'- Hotels m almost c^iery city were cvpwded, .although tho tariff was something like J3l per' day. Building m Sydney : -was'."; very brisk; .-;imd a partioularly fiiio 13-si'o.rey building wa.= being "erected "by Athe Union- Steam Ship;; Com«^ny m George: Street. .The Soaith British Insurance" ■" Compan- was aJso erecting .a, -fine: building. -The cost of . living m. 'Australia 'wwa t much on a pay with conditions existing :in the .Dominion to-day. Some Iliings were, course, dearer and other? cheaper i h?in •m JQtiw Zealand. For instance, ">•• b<\i\ seen ready-made- suite .charged £1- nd £17 and boots £3 per l>a.ir. The i.i'oplc m the cities lived at a high .rate, and m Sydney >particiilarl i n the bustle m tho business thoroughfares was' fascinating. ' < . - ,■'■.• There. '■ seemeti to be a . prettjr strohp fcelinsr' m Analrafiia, life said. .'concernanc: American-manufactured goods. TheW was a strong ■ 'irioyemeixt ai'oot to stick tc Bi'itish-made Hiies, and- every encouragfement was being" "given to\ foster local manufactures.. Eor instance, the. authorities only permi'ited tlie,' import of one motor car with 2 cliaa'si*. tho industry of body-manufaoturing liaving made gpea*' progress m, Australia m. -c^asequence. "7 hare seen t"ordi chassis -orer thea-o'.^ hr added, "fitted with bodfes 'which ir many respects would' compare with tlr Rolls-Royce." .'•"' The "residentiali portion of the suburbf are, . 'generally speaking, a. fine olass of house, being* mostly of six or sever .rooms and > built iv brick- Despite t-hf facl that timber is • 'experi«iVo over there building operations proceed at a great rate.

In* Sydney the " Repatriation Board." havo house-building schemes formed, andproperties have been -'..purchased alTready. In Tasmania, there has 'bfeew a- considerable amount of progress made m thr scheme, and a lai'ge : number of chear, eottaores have been ereCt«d for soldiers ' Tho reason for 'the difference m the prices charged for rimu is that m onr instance it is by lineal measurement. anc" |m the ofihei" by "super." Hai'dwoo^* sU-ppJies were almost '■unprocurable.'' Tlk miillers would not supply New Zealand works owing, to ' the difficulty of shit> •■ merit. and ; tho very large' sizes usually i required. He was authoritatively informed that some orders which had beer ! standing for three years with Austra Han 'millers /for the New Zealand Public, Works Department were not vet com-' plet'ed. The manufacture of girders and railf was making great progress. in the Commonwealth and tho article manufacture" is considered toeompare favorably with the British product and prices. "It is some six years since I was last ■ : .<ni Sydney," said Mr Walkgr, "but during' tHat^ time theicity hrta^'gone .ahear' aifc ' an "astonishing 'rate, arid I ' m 4 shori time it is expected. thnU. tit© population wilfi,' reach one '•million. ThJEi f ciTy ser-; vices still maintain what they consider to be thA tie>t /service .in';we' '.world." The Sydne^' harboy'wor^|Vore m a very prospei-ous conditioH,.- and great extensions were'- being carried out to the Vjpharves. ' / ; ■■,. '■ Mr W/aJker was much impressed with' the Hobayt /harbor, wh£re tpo minimum depth of water alonigsida tho piers wa&> 45 feet at low tide. Th« many basin? of protected water insida .the headi coiild a£a6mm6datieva hii^o quantity of' shipping. ■ : 'V {

Mr Walker, said Tasmania was looking very awblU having experienced a good .se.afon. Tho drought extended, along "thp north 'coast - of New 'South " ; Wales" and eon ditions m. tJiafi ' district. 'vrere pi-etty' bad. He did hot see miich of the affecfted country ,• ; buli ■ was; inf ortned' that v no rain liadi been 'experienced f or '22 months, and' there was hardly. "a bfade of grass om the land. ; THcif 'farmers wer c beinjj "bad3y hit up." ' . The great difficulty at the pi-esent time", he'sftidj'^was-tliG .shortage, of shipping. 1 While inT Australia he interviewed managers of shipping; companies, alto", all were optimistic m tho belief th'a^-'.. matters would. be cmisiderably improye<?x within/ siV. months. He was infoi'mcd that the Peninsula and Orient lino were sending <iuito a. number of boats to theJJomhiions for trade. A direct serWcipr had/ been istai't'ed .Australia- jani?, Cliiiia " by' the steamers Victoria (formerly on. .this -'coast, for, the Huddart-Parker Oonipany) 'aiid the Gabo". "In, this trja,dc there were big prospects m a very short tinio,"' as-' .thei'e' wa& 1 a; ' big- dtemand I for Australian-made ; goods m Clii-na. ' ; : : Referring ip the nolit.i'aai 1 aspect. : Mr/ Walker tram' great'^ -interest was bejnirmanifested j"n. the contest between ' ■ ! MVHtighes aii"d! ] 'Mr' 'lHyani (ex-Premie^ -tip Queenslamd) 'for t)ie" Premiership of the' FederaH Government. Mr Ryan is a' rank Labor man"; During his term as Premier of Queenslaoid with a- Libor .(.Toyexrnncait' cjUite tt' /iarge. -Jiumber b/f State industiries 5 wote ' -sUr^ed-," but l ■to'- 1 fortunatoly most of them . have, .been ":a-. failure, and during; the last' two" years the deficiency of the '"Queensland Goveranient had .increased, enormously np.^-: withslandufg 1 the fact tlh'dt the cost'ofi living haa increased more m Queensland, 1 than m any other State. Most of the- . returned Soldiers" seem' to be strongly. in j favor of Mr Huerhes. Mr Walker said* (lie bad met Mr Hughes, and found Mn\ : !to. Jpe^a mos ( t jnodest m^n^aiid a g^ne-ralt' ' Irf con^Mn'%/Mr WSikeVrlferi-fed'to th© compflotcness of the ...Tasma<niian Toui list Department and the amount. '6'fji 1 assifitanas rendered .to „tJio.,,t ravel) ing public by this ./bureau. 'In. most of. 'the centres 'there was a Chamber of Manufactures which wa^ a body .similar to! the Chamber of Cdmmerco ior GHsborne. The , Board is sqfc, n\y to. foster the manufacture of A-usbraliari-mado poods and protect their interests, holding periodical meetings to consider matters of import-' ance ..concerning thp industries. ;.