FREIGHT PREFERENCE GIVEN TO FOREIGNERS,

Gisborne Times, Volume XII, Issue 1076, 18 December 1903, Page 4

FREIGHT PREFERENCE GIVEN TO FOREIGNERS,

At a meeting of the Auckland

■Chamber o£ Commerce, a letter was read regarding preferential freights uovy given, to foreigners by certain British' shipping companies. Reference was made to the respective freights on bottles from London and .Germany, 42s a ton being charged on English bottles, as against only 15s (net; (In bottles shipped from Germany via London. The President said this was a very, important matter, especially in view of the present movement for a preferential tariff, and it was our own people who were doing this thing, •'There was, on the line mentioned, a difference of I‘Js lOd a ton in favor of German as against British goods carried in British bottoms. Mr A. TI. Nathan confirmed the statement, and said that the samo thing applied to pianos. The original cause was the starting of German vessels to give lower freights to tiic colony than British steamers gave. The result was that our shipowners instructed tlieir agents in l-laiuburg. to take freights to the colonies, via London, at the same rates as charged by the German vpssols. This really amounted to giving a bounty to German manufactures. Mr D. R. Caldwell said it had been (stated that concessions could be got by sending English goods out via Hamburg, but on enquiring into the matter when lie went Home he had found that this was not so.

Mr T. Finlayson said our shipping companies were naturally trying to obtain all the freights they could, and they were employing British vessels and seamen.

Mr Nathan : But why give lower freight's to German than to English goods? Mr Finlayson : That is another question. Tou cannot please everybody, Mr Caldwell said that a commission bad enquired into the subject, but had been unable to remedy the matter.

Mr Philson : And all we. can say Will not alter it.

Mr S. Vaile said he had' always maintained that it 'was useless to frame Customs tariffs so ‘long as they allowed ‘them to be overridden by freight tariffs. The same thing obtained on the railway lines at Home. Even in New Zealand there was no absolute freetrade between the different provincial districts owing to the different rates charged on different sections of railways, Otago and Canterbury being specially favored in this respect, while Auckland fared worse.

My Caldwell : But if Southern merchants send goods up here they have to pay the same rate on our lines as we do, and if we send goods over their lines we get the same Concessions as they get. The discussion ended with the carrying of a resolution; moved by Mr Caldwell, to send copies of Mr Elliot’s letter 'to the principal English Chambers of Commerce.