Auckland Protests Strongly Against
pp. 42-43 · Read in the full issue
Plan To Eliminate Islands Steamer.
FOR some reason that is difficult to understand, the New Zealand Gov ernment decided, at the end of March, to cut Auckland out of the it inerary of the steamer “Maui Pomare,” which maintains a service between the Dominion and the Pacific groups to the northward.
For economy's sake, the Government decided to eliminate two of the four ports of Auckland, Wellington, Lyttel ton and Dunedin. This plan had merit; but when it appeared that the ports omitted were to be Auckland and Dun edin, there was amazement; because, next to Sydney, Auckland probably is the biggest Islands trading port in the world. The two ports omitted should have been Dunedin and Lyttelton; or, if a South island connection had to be maintained, Dunedin and Wellington.
The Auckland Chamber of Commerce, on March 31, April 1 and 2, was very active, holding meetings of protest and telegraphing strong representations to the Government, pointing out that the proposed re-arrangement threatened to destroy a trade with the Islands built up over 40 years.
The Chamber asked the Prime Minister to consider the following points: The matter of catering for Island re quirements is a highly specialised one, and it does not pay to cater unless a comparatively large market is avail able. Auckland merchants understand this business and have gone into it only because practically the whole of the Island trade has in the past been centred in Auckland. If the trade with the Islands were scattered throughout New Zealand it would pay no mer chants to specialise in it, and much business would be permanently lost to New Zealand and go to Australia and elsewhere. The Auckland merchants who had to pay the rail or coastal freight to Wellington would be pro hibited from continuing to enjoy this trade, especially as New Zealand at the present time is already labouring under the disadvantage of the exchange “bonus’’ enjoyed by Australian exports.
If you will examine the manifests of the “Maui Pomare,” you will notice that (if banana shooks are eliminated) even when the South Island ports have had the advantage of a flat freight rate to the Islands, they have never been able between them to
provide as much as 5 per cent, of the total New Zealand exports to the Is land.
By way of illustration it may be mentioned that the whole population of Nuie is not sufficient to warrant piece goods being specially manufactured and it is only when the demand could be spread over a number of islands that it pays the merchants engaged in this trade to arrange for the special re quirements of the islands to be manu factured. Considerable stocks of such goods are held by Auckland merchants, and these would undoubtedly be left on their hands if the elimination of Auck land were made permanent.
Then, as regards tinned meats; A local brand, well and favourably known throughout the Islands, would not stand the freight to Wellington, in addition to the present freights. In all probability, Australian meats would supplant it, as with the Australian exchange advan tage local firms have already had some difficulty in holding their own. The New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Com pany is the only New Zealand company tinning butter, and it is tinned butter that the Islander requires. Here again the commodity would not stand the freight to Wellington, and there is dan ger the trade might slip to Australia.
Auckland, has natural geographical advantages to cater for the Islands trade, by reason of shorter distances, and the fact that the services in the past have existed. The Auckland ex porters have sunk considerable capital in establishing goodwill in the Islands, and generally in financing the Islands trade under the quite justifiable expec tations that there would be no artificial interferences with the natural advan tage of closer proximity. The removal of Auckland from the “Maui Pomare’s” itinerary would destroy that goodwill.
If, for reasons of economy, it is deemed necessary to confine the “Maui Pomare’s” calls to two New Zealand ports, surely Auckland and Lyttel ton suggest themselves rather than Wellington and Lyttelton. It may be mentioned that Wellington and Lyttel ton are both south of the centre of gravity of New Zealand’s population, Which at present is somewhere about Levin. Island produce would be dis tributed with a minimum of expense and with a minimum of delay if the ports of call in New Zealand were so chosen as to be approximately equal distances from the centre of gravity of population. This is a simple mathe matical proposition requiring no de monstration. The ports which natur ally suggest themselves in this connec tion are undoubtedly Auckland and Lyttelton.