The herald., 1894-08-30
eHALL WE HAVE ANrIPODEAN COM
MERGE?

One OF the outcomes OF the new
tariff bill will probably be the estab-
lishment of q line of steamships be-
tween the great commercial city OF
Melbourne, in Australia, and some port
in Southern California. The exports of
thst country are chiefly wool, tin and
meats in cold storage; and while it
hardly seems at first probable that the
south continent could ship bssf and
mutton to America and compete with
rs. yet she has beon shipping frozen
beef and mutton to Quebec, Montreal,
Toronto and Ouawa by the Canadian
Pacific railroad for six months past, at
the rate OF 1900 csrcasses OF mutton by
each monthly trip. Hence there is
probability that shipments OF those
commodities will be made as soon as the
modified tariff in America ehall have
gone into effect.
Now as to wool The wool OF California
is good enough for blankets. rugs and all
ths coarser fabrics, but not good enough
for the 6ner cloths and cassimeres in
use for daily wear. Mo2t of those goods
are now imported from Germany,
France and Belgium, whore labor ia
much cheaper than in the United States.
But with free wool, the Eills OF San
Francisco and other cities in this state,
which have been closad evor since the
Ubiquitous Mckinley bill went into
effect, will resume their operations and
begin to make money.
A gentleman of this city, who has
been the salaried correspondent of the
Melbourne Argus for the past Eve years,
was recently ordered to look up the
question OF traffic between that city and
some port in Southern California and
report by the steamer of September 22d
on the probabilities Of traffic between
the two countries, as we'll az on the eli
gibility of the rival ports OF the south.
Naturally his preference would be in
favor OF Santa Monica. that port being
the terminus of two competing lines of
railway across the continent, each OF
which traverses totally different Sec
tio1 OF country from the other and fur
nishes additional markets for antipodean
commodities.
At present there are two subsidized
lines of steamers betw esn the two coun-
tries, both of which sail from Sydney,
N. S. W. One of these lines goes to
San Francisco, connecting with the Cen.
trail Pacific. while the other connects
Nth Tho NapaJ;ar rnaJ - Voooo,-ar
B. @. The same objection holda good TO
both those roads-the danger of snow
interrupting thei- traffic between Octo.
ber and April. The Melbourne people,
II they see fit to subsidies line oil
steam vessels to ply between that port
and America, want to connect with \
line whose traffic will not be 80 impeded
ut any season. Ii there is any one thing
that the average Australian globs-trotter
does not relish, it is snow. He has none
of it in his own country and has no de-
sire to make its Acquaintance. Hence the
attraction which thu Southern Pacific
and Santa Fe systems must necessarily
have for. the people OF that snowl leas
region. Their object in reaching Eng
land by way OF America, between March
and October. ia to avoid the deadly heat
In the Red sea and Indian ocean: and
they want route across the American
continent that is free from snow. The
roads which will meet the ship at Santa
Monica are the only two transcont:-
mental highways that are not open to
that objection. Here tho traveller from
the antipodes will find land as fair 40
the one be has left and with good deal
better climate.
The second largest Steamship company
In the world is the French line known
ss the "Compagnis des Measageriea
MARTINEZ" 1t has nearly one hun red
steamers plying to ports in India, Africa,
Australia, China and Japan. Il has re-
Gently put on four new steamers in its
Australian line. of similar y, to the
Etruris and Z mbria of the Cunard line.
These boats Gispiaoe four vessels OF
about 1000 toas each, for which the
company will have no employment,
unless they are made the nucleus OF an
American line across the Pacific. Ali
who have travelled on the Messageries
1hips will cheerfully bear Testimony to
their large sleeping apartments and
their superb cuisine. Every meal is z
banquet.
The question OF victoria's subaidizing
line OF steamers to America was being
mooted in 1880. when along came u o
Mckinley bill and put the VIII ole prop
osition to sleep. With the new tariff
law in effect. however. the project viii
revived, and II British colonT
lhould be ~ ssse to voting q subsidy !