A NATIONAL FLEET.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1808, 14 July 1906, Page 1

A NATIONAL FLEET.

ESTIMATED FINANCIAL RESULTS

T< o following points oocur in tho Fodiral Shipping Commission’s rrpoit ndrocatirg a nalioual licet, owned and run. by the Fodrral G iverninott.' srmo dot ils ol wbioh sohemo woro cabled laet work : - Tbo presont subsidised mail service is oki. fly maintained in tbointoiests of tbr commercial olass, and predpeors and oxporters of perishable prouuro. The . general community would not bo materially inconvenienced by tho alopti n of tho poundage system. A national ileet of eight turbine steamers, 2000 tens la ger than the present beat?, 16 knoia oaob,.costing 1875 000, h recommended. A fortnightly scrvico is csiima’fd to cnet (defiaito figures unottiinnll.) £1,207,000 >’Daily. C'bisf items of expenditure: Ir.tores', £90,000 ; Ocidd-of round trip?, at £BS 500 each, £700,000; insurance, £150,000; depreciation and sirk eg fund, £l5O 000 ; managerial expenses (7J per cent on JG760.000). £57,000. Estimated revenue ; £1 819.000, leavirg an annual profit of £112,900 Details of revenuo : Subsidies, £l5O 000 ; freight on Sta'o imporis, £100,000; passenger faros, £701,900 ; ordiraty freights, £368,000. This is besed on fivo months’ full traffic and ic en mooths of ‘ oil ’’ season, The paefcngir receipts nio estimated on tho Orient Company’s ecala cf fares. Fre'ght average, £2 10e per ton to E >gland. £2 per ton from England. Ocmmonwenlth s'Oimers would have a oap>.ci y of 5600 tons of cargo oscb, but not more than 4000 tons of cargo is estimated cn any trip. Tho shipping conference of London could not prevent a Commonwealth lino getting back f eight-. Bu trr is now carried at £3 lOe por tor, which rate is piobubly umomunerclive.

Tbo national fleet would cam rnoro if the States went in for oxteneivo land set tlement likely to attract immigrants. Tbo dlicers, engineer?, and 0.-ews of tho national fleet would be Australians, who would spond their wages in Australia. Most of the repairing would be done here, and tbo fleet would be a great advertisement for the Gnmmonwealtb. The steamers would be run primarily in the interest? of tbe produoor and consumer. Profit would bo a scoondsry consideration. National steamers might carry ooastal oaigo. All shippers, large and small, to be treated alike. At prcsoDt freights from England to Adelaide and Fremantle a*o higher than from England to Melbourne and Sydney. This is unjustified. A national fleet would cheok exorbitant charges by private lines. Through bills of lauding to be issued in co-operation with tbe Stnto railways from any railway stition to London, All Btato Railway Commissioners, except Mr George (W.A.) and Mr Thallon (Q) disapprove of such through bills of lading. ’* The various Chambrrs of Commerce objrotod to a national flop, as the Government was a lass economical manager than private enterprise. • - Tie New Sou'h Waits Ro’lwav Com missioners opposed a Government line of steamers. Subsidies granted to a national fleet would guarantee speed and regularity in derpatoh and arrival. Tbe Government bad no experience in shipping matter?, but could purobaso brains and skill es well as any private company. It was very unlikely that tho shipping conference in England would attempt to fight a national fleet. Intermediate boats rn’ght be cstab'.isbod to run via tbe Capo at a later s^age. The British shipping eonferenca fixed freight?, guaranteed shippers 10 per cent, deferred rebate, payable six months after shipment, provided their ships wore exclusively used. Representatives of lbs Chambers of Commerce were opposed to State owned boats, but could suggest no remedy for tho deferrod rebate system, whioh they objected to.

No Australian Ifgislatioa could affect this system of rebates given in England. Beth in England and Australia no new shipping firms can claim the right of entrance into the shipping conference although prepared to Eutscribo to all the articles of the association. AH future oontraots with shipping compsn’es should provido for white stokers only.

The rate of wages and accctnmodstion provided were rooEons for white stokers’ unreliability. Legislation should to phased (o prohibit the unfair robato system in an Australian coastal trade, c-f which evidence bad bepn git en at Maryborough, Queensland, A priya'O contract for English mala should have a duration of at leatt seven years, All fu'ure postal oonfacts should terminate at Adelaide, A national fieit tbould run to no ether tirminal po;t than London Only tuibiuo Ettamers should Lecn.* ployrd. The cottmiaeion eomplsios tha| ftp Queensland £joverr,fi4?n! aid not give the assistance tafectcd,