DOMINION AGENCIES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2376, 17 December 1908, Page 2

DOMINION AGENCIES.

‘ BRANCHES IN AUSTRALIA. THE WORK DONE. . . Some .particulars of the work that is being done by the New Zealand Government at- its agency in, -Sydney, which .'has now been in operation two and a half years, were furnished to an Auckland “Herald” representative a couple of days ago by Mr E. H. Montgomery, formerly of Auckland, who has been in charge of the office since it was opened in June, 1906. Tlie Sydney agency is not merely a tourist office; dt is a bureau of general information concerning all -matters relative to New Zealand, whether pertaining to the tourist fcrafcommerce and industries, or geTreral conditions relating .to land settlement, legislation, or tlie hundreo and one other subjects upon whmu enlightenment may be desired. Tlie agency, which was established by the .Late Mr Seddon, just prior to his deah in 1906, is now located in commodious premises (selected by Mr Donne, -general manager of the Tourist- Department).,, in George Street, where it is a familiar.•.landmark to all Sydneyites. For the first nine -months during which the ofiice was opened, -ended March 31, 1907, the number of visitors to tlie office was 13,131, whilst for the next twelve months, ended March last, the number was 17,000. It may also bo of interest to state that'during the period last, mentioned, the number of passengers who left Sydney for New Zealand was within a score of 21,000, or an average of over 400 weekly. A great nupnber of Australians and European visitors avail themselves of the office for obtaining information regarding the tourist resorts of Now Zealand, but the office is also largely used by Sydney business men for the purpose of obtaining information relating to commercial (matters. Samples of N-ew Zealand products, including grain, timber, gum, -as well as preserved speciinents of trout and deer heads, are on view at the office. One of tlie tusks of the office, Mr Montgomery states, is that of refuting the idea wliic hlias got lio-id of (many untravelled Australians, that the trip across the Tasman Sea is a fearful tiling to undertake. Every effort is being made to demonstrate that with tho present well-appoin-ted steamers and the fair weather conditions that prevail on most oc-, casions-, the trip may bo a accomplished with a reasonable degree of comfort. His effort is being attended with fair success, as is evidenced by the increasing number of passengers travelling from Sydney to New Zealand. A similar office was established in Melbourne by Mr Seddon at the time of tho opening of the Sydney office, and the officials in charge in each case, it may be mentioned, together with the assistants, are New Zealanders, -possessed of a practical knowledge of the geography and general conditions of the Dominion. Mr Montgomery, who claims that tlie offices in each of the two cities have been u signal success, states that in numerous cases desirable immigrants of |means and experience from Canada and South Africa, -as well as- the -Old Country, who -arrive in Australia, in many cases without definite plans, are induced to come to New Zealand through the information obtained from the New Zealand agencies.