WELLINGTON. NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 June 1917, Page 3

WELLINGTON. NOTES.

THE SHIPPING DEAL.

DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW

(Our Special Correspondent)

WELLINGTON, June 18

Though the absorption of the Union Company by the P. and O. Company is not being criticised in Wellington with the same personal interest as it is in Dunedin, it is being freely, discussed by local business men and politicians. The general feeling is one of regret that an institution, which on the whole has played its part in the development of New Zealand uncommonly well, should bo losing the independent existence, and passing under the control of a great corporation that may have no intimate .concern for the welfare of the country and the needs of its people. Certain persons, who profess to know all about the nature of the transaction, do not hesitate to criticise the “deal” in tlie most ' scathing terms, but whether their language is justified or not it would be premature t* set it down here. DISSIPATED HOPES. The advocates of a State steamer service between all the ports of the Dominion, which they believe would have effected an enormous saving in the cost of living while yielding a handsome profit to the Treasury, see in the acquisition of the Union Company’s business by a “foreign” organisation the final dissipation of their hopes. They fear that the P. and O, Company with its enormous capital ancf wide-spread will prove too stiff a proposition for any Government to tackle and with its arrival in New Zealand all prospect even of a State ferry service between Wellington and Lyttelton, which was to be the beginning of a great State undertaking, will disappear. Just why this is to he the case it is not easy to understand, but the advocate of State enterprise refuse to he consoled by reminders of the omnipotence of the people through their representatives in Parliament MINISTERIAL ACTION.

That the matter has been discussed by the Cabinet everyone knows, but exactly what is the attitude of Ministers towards the absorption no one can say. Of course, there are rumours in abundance. One of these, which is given by 'the gossips the imprimatur of the very best authority and seems as likely to he well-founded as any of the rest, declares that the members of the Cabinet are sharply divided in their views and could agree only on postponing the discussion of the matter till the return of Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward. Mr. Russell is represented as the leader of the Opposition to the proposal to accept the arrangement as inevitable and judging from one or two interviews he lias - given the newspapers he is not being maligned. J AN INTERESTING SITUATION.

But the story does not depict the Minister of Internal Affairs as standing alone in his protest „ against what the shipping companies are doing. It is assumed that the other Liberal members of the Cabinet are supporting, him and it is even whispered that the Acting Prime Minister is not favourably disposed towards the fusion. ..nat Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph V ard will have to say about the matter no one ventures to predict, but it is pointed out that thev must have known before they left London something of the nature of the negotiations that were going on between the two companies and have had some idea of their probable outcome. If this is the case and their approval has been given t° the extinction of the local company a very pretty situation may develop when they take tlieirt seats at the Cabinet table.