SUEZ CANAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1136, 25 May 1911, Page 7

SUEZ CANAL.

REDUCTION IN DUES, " Bs Telegraph—Press Associati-oD-Copyrieht Paris, May 23. The Suez Canal Company is reducing the dues from r.even and a quarter to six and three-quarter francs per ton. Tho reduction will come into operation on January 1, 1012. ■ i . . Mr. J. Wilson, Potter, the chairman of the-.General Shipowners' Society, in the course of a speech some little time back, put tho case very pointedly for a reduction o" tho Suez Canal dues. He pointed out that by the agreement made in 1883 between the company and tho shipowners it "Wac arranged that so soon as the dividend on the canal- shares reached 25- per cent, all profits over and above this should J)u devoted to a reduction in the dues. The canal company had now totally disregarded this agreement, and application to the British Government to interfere in tho matter had met with no success. ' The British Government's investment in I. the.canal amounted to.an Original'sum of •J24,M0,000, and the return on this investment .was now about .£1,250,000 per annum. He estimated that the return to tho British Government represented 3j franes a ton on the British tonnage using, the canal. Whsn they considered the ■ amount of money that foreign Govern- ; ments.paid to their respective mercantile ' marines in the way of subsidies, then if 1 it was impoi-sibl? for the British Government to prevail upon the Suez Canal Company to modify its charges, was it unreasonable of British shipowners to ask their Government to return to British vessels using the canal a part of its . share of the extortionate dividend which 3 .the- canal company wrnng from British i tonnage? 1 , . , .- ■ -« s GRAMOPHONES. THE DRESDEN PIANO CO., LTD., has landed a shipment of Grama-phones-the finest the world produces. Prices £i to .£3O. Tho public is cor- '■ dially invited to inspect these instru--5 ments A largo stock of records to select ' from, including Mclba, Tetrazzini, Clara u Butt, Caruso, Kubelik. Write for cata- "■ logues. The Dresden Piano Co., Ltd., Wellington. M. J; Brookes, North Island Manager. THE AWFUL TRUTH ' s Is brought homo very forcibly to marly e persons who mako their purchases with- '"• out first considering what tho quality of •° the goods is that thoy. are buying. This l " applies more particularly to furniture that has been made of unseasoned timber and been badly put together, with tho result that the goods are ie useless for purposes which they wefta bought, owing to tho timber splitting and >, warping. To get the very best it is •s possible to mako at reasonable prices t. ! Messrs. W. F. Shortt, Ltd., proprietors of Wellington's Leading Furniture Ware>k house, invite inspection' of their immense ie stock of exquisitely-designed furniture, every article of which is made at their 5) own factory, and is guaranteed, the 9, material used being thoroughly seasoned, r- while only the most competent workmen :o are employed. Furniture of every de;o scription made to order. Rend for cata--13 loguo to Shortt's, Ltd., Country Depart- - uient, Wellington. Country orders packl ed free of charge.'