STATE MERCANTILE MARINE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2824, 15 July 1916, Page 10

STATE MERCANTILE MARINE

Sir,—The purchase of a State mercantile marine by tho Australian Commonwealth Prime Minister, and the advocacy of that kind of thing by the Zealand Government by some of the citizens, requires more than a passing notice. At once one is constrained to reply -that this is State selfishness. This is not 'thinking Imperially. Alter the wac the coining; i'veigut v.-ir is {joins to be more bitterly waged tli.ili the clash of arms. The giant submarines are going to be n menace. Presumably ior passenger and cargo traffic only, there is nothing in the shape of honour in the German minil to prevent the ocean-going submarine after the war carrying a tow torpedoes, and some of our merchantmen and . cargo boats will be posted at Lloyds a-s "missing"—utterly lost ami unaccounted for. Hut even ill the so-called legitimate mercantile innxino traiiie the question of freights later will bo one that will have to be met. If all the colonies of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Soutii Africa, India, and llalaya go in for Statß mercantile marines, what is to be the result in tho future in coping with tho bitter freight war of the future? Chaos. What- we shall require as a requisite power to copo with the coining lreight war is an imperial mercantile marine, run by Great iritain and her colonies, and manned by the tens of thousands of cur gallant sailors who are risking their lives in the .North Sea for our protection. 1 Let ns have one fleet, united and iiiviolablo--Uie Navy, the lighting branch, and tho mercantile Imperial licet -—one great naval squadron, the men with (lie same rating anil prospects of pension's ;as (lis Imperial naval men of 10-ciay: the ollicffi'3 interchangeable; tiro I'oyal Naval Reserve swept away,, so that naval oilicors could command passenger and cargo steamers while the mercantile officers could obtain in the .Navy. Our mercantile marine officers and men liai'e isliown that they can light without training if they have the guns and tho opportunity. They have maintained gallantly sea fights without the protection of the armour-plated Dreadnoughts. In the coining freight war thero would be. a central Imperial authority to copu with the coming cut rate's in freights, automatically dropping to the same rate, or below it, of any German mercanttfe marine. Any loss sustained in carrying 1 out this war to l» paid pro rata by 'Great Hr.itaiu and her colonies in accordance witii aiuouut of lreight carried.

VVc have had specimens of freight wars among uurselvc*, when rival companies, • trying to run each other off the line, have carried passengers from Kew Zealand to Australia, for ten shillings a head. No powerful shipping companies ever combined could cope with the'coming shipping war, and nothing less thou an Imperial mercantile murine would be able to meet this coming war. We had a specimen of what we shall have to deal with' in the line of Herman steamers that was coming to our snores just at the commencement ol' the war. Thesa vesselß, to obtain the trade and to help .to pay the Herman Government subsidy,' were prepared to take treight twin iVeiv Zealand to Europe for live shillings per ton, against Sis. to 30-s. per ton by our direct line of steamers, flow is this to be met except by an imperial mercantile marine that could meet promptly any emergency, and could compete against the world. ■ Great Britain lias commandeered half of our mercantile marine; let the ■ Government commandeer the other half after the war at a fair price per vessel. Wo want to go even further, and ma.ee our freights equitable and equal between all parts of the Empire. It would not cost more for freignt in these outlying pickets of the Umpire, Australia .and New Zealand, to the Mother Country than from Canada. We are not competing against one another to cause jealousy. Canada could easily .become vile granary of the British Empire, producing grain at a far less cost than we can in these Dominions, while we send butter, meat, and wool. It would revolutionise the Imperial Empire and the world. How many industries are hampered in these colonies because of the freight rates? How many millions have our own'mercantile marine exploited us during the war? All this must be swept away. So long as the freights charged will meet interest, and sinking fund"on prime cost of the Imperial mercantile marine, and the freights would ba such that many industries of the Empire could compote against the world. It may be said Germany is bankrupt, and will have no money to build steamera or run them at low rates. Don t make any mistakes of this kind. Ihe> will run industries, build vessels, and run at low freights, and make sacrifices with the prospect of obtaining a nias&ry in the water carriage of the world. This will have to be met. and the best way I would suggest is bv' an Imperial mercantile marine.-I am, Hotel Windsor, Wellington.