WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 May 1923, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES.

SHIPPING FREIGHTS. SIR WALTER BUCHANAN’S CLAIMS [Special To The Guardian.] WELLINGTON, May 25 Sir Walter Buena nan’s reiterated assertion that the small shipping company with which he is associated has saved the wool-growers ol the Dominion many thousands of pounds during the last lew vears hv compelling the large companies to reduce their rates of freight is not being taken very seriously by the local representatives of these big concents. They presume that Sir V alter’s stories in regard to the exactions of the older companies are intended to assist an e.ppeal to the tanners tor additional capital that is being made on behalf of his own company, a modest little affair which appears to have been getting along well enough during the last quarter of a century, with C100.0U9 and now aspires to having L2:>0,000 at its disposal. There is no vaulting ambition about this, and the representatives of the older companies, so they say, have no desire to dissuade the farmers from subscribing the money Sir Walter requires. But they think ho should have been able to put the claims of his company before them in a sufficiently alluring form without implying that the other companies were in business merely for the purpose of extorting the uttermost, shilling from the shippers, lie knew perfectly well that this was not true and that tho shippers would not tolerate it if it were true. THE INDICTMENT.

Bast month Sir Walter Buchanan's company issued a very lengthy circular in which all its own achievements and all the improprieties of the other companies were set out in considerable detail. In this circular it was claimed that llic company with only 1100,000 o( capital and with only one or two comparatively small chartered vessels had saved the New Zealand sheep-fa rmer> since 1807 well over £2,000,000 by offering better terms than the big companies were giving. “The liners,” it was declared, “bitterly opposed our lirsi loading of steamers, but after a year or two of freight-cutting, not only accepted the position, but loaded their steamers at the rates annually fixed h\ this company.” lienee, of course, the saving of two millions! But flic parlies behind the “liners," quoting chapter and verse in support of their contention, insist thill for many years they have fixed the rate for wool at the beginning of the season, many months ahead of the arrival of the chartered steamers, fltui that Sir Waller’s company has accepted these rates without the slightest demur. It certainly seems incredible that a linn loading two or three small steamers would fix the rates for a licet of some nincLy great liners. THE PUBLIC’S INTEREST.

The representatives of the big companies do not question the right of Sir Waller Buchanan, or of any other individual who cares to employ his money and his energies in this direction, to charter steamers to carry the tanners' produce to their markets at the other end of the world. But, trying to take a broad view of the question, as they say, they doubt if the farmers are consulting their own permanent interests in attempting to divert business from the regular liners to vessels which admitlcdly are unable to come with more lh,an a more I nudum ui the trade, and have no national obligations, so to speak, to discharge. The purpose of the appeal now being made on Debit!l ol Sir Walter's company is to obtain sufficient capital to place six chartered ships in the trade, instead of two or three, and so carry twice a - much wool as is bieng carried at present. r l he company has no refrigerated space and consequently can carry no meat, nor butter nor other perishable products; but it seeks to divert the cream of the wool carrying trade tram the liners and to leave them to serve the country in cvcrv other respect. THE PLAIN FACTS.

The big companies do not suggest for a moment that the continued diversion of wool from their vessels would ultimately result in a deterioration of the services they are rendering to the enmimuiity in general and to the farmers in pari ictilar. 1 titL they submit that: their readiness to accept all kinds of freight, the costly provision they have made for the carriage of perishable products, their regular sailings, the high class ol their vessels and their reliability ought to save them from such criticism as that conjured up to advance the ends of a private venture which has done nothing whatever to promote the interests or encourage the enterprise ol the great hotlv of producers. M hen a proposal to establish a State-shipping line was heforo a Parliamentary committee rom' 1 years ago Sir Walter Buchanan sug gested that six insulated ships should be provided for the carriage of meat f.ml butter ami it was subsequently shown that vessels of the type he had i'i mind would cost something in the neighbourhood of half a million apiece. Now Sir Walter is adopting a different line uf attack, lie hopes with a capital of a quarter of a million to divert the most profitable part of the trade from the big companies and to leave them with the costly part of the service.