The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, SEPTEMBER 12, 1903. SOUTH AFRICAN STEAMER SERVICE.

Gisborne Times, Volume X, Issue 993, 12 September 1903, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, SEPTEMBER 12, 1903. SOUTH AFRICAN STEAMER SERVICE.

The people of this district have an undoubted leaning towards Auckland in the matter of the San Francisco steam service; but if Auckland journals seek to deprecate the value of the South African service, the sympathetic feeling towards the San Francisco lino must soon give way to other feelings. The N.Z. Times has the following article on the South African steamer service: —The San Francisco mail service stands to Auckland newspapers as a local ark of the covenant, and any person who ventures to indicate means for extending its usefulness at once incurs the wrath of those journals. The stand taken by the New Zealand Times on this subject is not in any way antaganistic to the San Francisco, service, but merely an assertion of the undoubted fact that the colony would be better served if the mail was distributed from Wellington. Recently the Auckland Herald went out of its way to drag in the sudsidised steamer service to South Africa as a reason why the San Francisco service should be retained to Auckland. The Auckland Herald made the unwarranted statement that the Government was subsidising a line of steamers that was absolutely of no benefit to Auckland, and this should be classed as an offset to the benefit derived from the San Francisco mail steamers making Auckland their port of call in New Zealand. The impression given was a misleading one, for the .benefits of the South African service are open to Auckland as much as any other centre. As a matter of fact, the Government, a month or so ago, made the experiment of sending one of the subsidised | steamers to Auckland without exacting | the guarantee of 800 tons of cargo required to ensure a call at any port in terms of the contract. The result was that under 300 tons came forward, notwithstanding a shipment of pumice and of timber )>V the Government. In view of such failure as this, it is unfair that Auckland newspapers should quote as an argument against this service the fact that Auckland is too supine to take advantage of the facilities offered. There is a general tendency in Auckland to decry this South African service, and therefore some figures showing the great good done to this colony by the policy of the Govern.

ment in subsidising the steamers will be opportune. The years from 1889 to 1901 show abnormal figures caused by the war, but after discarding these there remains convincing proof of the great increase in trade since the subsidised steamers began to run. The year before the war the exports to South Africa totalled only £2706, while for the year 1597 the total was £0795. In 1896 the total was £12,508, in 1895 £10,255, in 1894 £2545, and in 1893 £3779. In 1902 the figures naturally showed a falling olf as compared with the last year of the war, but nevertheless they reached the high figure of £754,059, as compared with £825,476 for 1901. In November, 1902, the line of subsidised steamers began to run, and though there were some underladen vessels despatched in the ealier months, the totals for the months from November, 1902, to the middle of July last, showed that cargo and live stock to the value of £122,530 was sent to South Africa by this line. In addition to this, cargo and live stock worth £8533 os 3d were sent to West Australia by the subsidised steamers. A profitable and substantial trade is being built up with South Africa, and the Government has shown wisdom and foresight in establishing the line of steamers.