ALL-RED ROUTE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13975, 9 August 1909, Page 7

ALL-RED ROUTE.

PREPARING A SCHEIE. l)r Coiilter, Deputy Postmaster-Ge-neral of Canada, ».as recently m London, on his way home at'U-r a somewhat prolonged tour in connection with the proposed '"All Ked Boutc " to Canada. Australia, and Xow Zealand. It is an open secret that lie went to Australia tor the purpose of discussing with leading statesmen and business people the proposed new plan for an Imperial road. '"I think the scheme is (juitc feasible." he remarked to a " Daily Chronicle " representative, •• and my belief is based upon good foundation. Commercial men among the Australians are in favour of.it; so are the representatives with whom I discussed it. It has been said that Australia has little or nothing to gain. But that is an erroneous view.

"She stands to gain enormously by a quicker route from tho tourist tralhc alone. Men with whom 1 travelled, who are in business in America, were staggered when they found they had to wait six weeks for their mails by one route, and tour weeks by another. ' My business won't stand it,' they told mc, and some of them went, straight back. "And the tourist traffic is no unimportant item. lam told that American visitors are worth twenty millions a year to Europe, and most of the turnover carries a larger proportion of profit than tho ordinary commercial investment. Tho people in America have done the European tour until they are tired of it. But they dare not leave business for an Australasian tour until the mails are greatly accelerated. "To men of that kind the reduction of time occupied iin travelling to Now Zealand, say from thirty-eight to twenty-seven days, would mean an enormous gain, and whatever it cost, within reason, would almost certainly produce a very large profit indeed. I don't supposo we could organise u twenty-seven days service at first, but with that as an ideal wo might easily do something almost at onco. "As to method and plans, I am not at liberty to speak, as 1 have to report to my Government. But I have heard it. freely argued in Australia that it would be better to buy out the vested interests than to compete with them.

"'Australia and Canada are both countries destined to become very rich. And commercial men and capitalists generally in the States are looking towards them with business notions in their heads. And if they find a. good cable service, with cheap rates (which would enormously increase the business;, they would bring their custom to the companies concerned. And the •-•speeding-up' of the rail and steamboat service would hnvu a similar effect."

Dr Coulter expressed the opinion that in Canada, at any rate, there would-be no very long delay before the Government set to work on a concrete plan. "What form it would take, he could not, or would not, say publicly. One misconception as to Australia he admitted had been removed from' his mind; it was the idea that the Labour partv there are less loyal, or less enthusiastically loyal, to the old country than tho other sections of tho conimnnitv.

Dr Coulter was greatly impressed with the " levol-hoadndness " and intelligence of the leaders as a • wkolo,

Thev will probably favour State, ownership rather than a, subsidised service, although they had not so far definitely expressed themselves upon the point. '