SHIPPING CONTROL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 132, 28 February 1920, Page 7

SHIPPING CONTROL

DECLARED A HUGE FAILURE

INCREASED TONNAGE, BUT LESS TRADE By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright .. ..-.. London, February! 23. ' At the annual meeting of the Chamber of Shipping, the newly-elected President (Mr. W. . Noble) scathingly;' criticised State control', as extravagant and "wasteful. It'destroyed.initiative flnd.hadbcen a huge failure. 'Nationalisation of* shipping was tho sure road to bankruptcy. Owing', to the'congestion at'tlib ports'iind the breakdown of land .transport. many steamers were- only doing half the work they' did before the war. It "was a fact that the trades and industries which had been decontrolled we're "already recovering, whereas those still in the grip of the State were going from had to worse. With more.-shipping, than' we.possessed in August, 19H,-.we only were carrying half tho volume, of the trade:carried: in 1913. Mr. Noble said .be had-faith .in the Britisher as a shipbuilder, and shipowner, but the,present policy of the United-.States Shipping-Board and also nf our. own Dominions, especially Australia' and Canada, was unfair competition. Their policy, appeared, to be to build -np .a'mercantile marine-'.' a't. : :atiy cost, .relying- .ott the ■ national .nurse -to make good -any deficiency.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Rcuter.-, ■;. ,-.. ;