The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, MAY 26, 1928. MARITIME INTERCOURSE

Hokitika Guardian, 26 May 1928, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, MAY 26, 1928. MARITIME INTERCOURSE

It is not difficult to realise that the facilities for sea transport have been a great factor in building up the Empire, which at the same time it has been such an aid to the Empire trade. It is because of the great service the sea is to tho mercantile marine that it is essential to maintain a navy capable of asserting British power on the high seas so as to ensure the safe passage of the trading ships. Point is given to this asjject of the valno of maritime intercourse, by comment in a recent English publication, which also refers to other Empire aspects of the question at issue. It goes on to say on the subject that tho free use of the son and the free exchange of commodities arc, in the opinion of Sir William Crawford Currie, vice-president of the Chamber of Shipping of the v/iiited Kingdom, essential postulates for the shipping of the Empire. Discussing the subject at a recent luncheon given by the Royal Colonial Institute, Sir William emphasised this obvious truism by stating that, if Great Britain could not sell is manufactures to a Dominion owing to the raising in that Dominion of a tariff wall to protect its own industries, then to the extent to which such manufactures were shut out would the power of this country to purchase that Dominion’s products he reduced. The power

assimilate the manufactures of this country depended on the consuming power of tho Dominions,s and this depended on the population of those Dominions. Emigration therefore was an important factor in increasing interimperial trade, provided the emigrants were employed in exporting the natural resources of the Dominions. But if the services of the emigrant? were utilised to increase behind a tariff wall the manufactures of those Dominions, then such emigration had a negative result in that it failed to give an impetus to trade within the Empire. Commenting on the old policy of flag discrimination, than which Sir William said there could lie no greater factor in the promotion of international discord, he .pointed out that the British Empire was knit together by her shipping, and tho V ■ tisli policy of equal opportunity for tho vessels of all flags had been conducive to commercial peace mid had given to traders the best service at tho cheapest price. If they were to carry tho old Navigation Act to its logical conclusion, it would mean that, if imports were to lie carried to the country of destination only in tho ships of that country, double the ro image. would be required, the outward voyage would lie in ballast, and the freights payable for tlie return voyage would naturally he doubled. Overseas trade would practically lie brought to a standstill. Fortunately, the maritime nations were in the main adhering to tho British policy of freedom for all shipping, the fruits of the Maritime Ports Convention adopted hv the League of Nations in 1923. Tn reference to the difference in freight rates from the Continent and from Great Britain, Sir William said the British shipowner had been accused of assisting the Continental exporter to the detriment of the British exporter by accepting- a lower rate of freight from the Continent. This was a. question of great difficulty. Obviously the British shipowner who traded from the Continent must accept the rates current from Continental ports otherwise he would not obtain the cargo If the Continental rate could not he ino reused to the parity of tlie United Kingdom rate, the alternative was a reduction of the United Kingdom rate; but whichever alternative- was employed the Continental shipowner held tlie advantage, and tlie British shipowner from this country was penalised vis-a-vis bis Continental competitor, for costs on the Continent, such as port expenses and stevedoring, were considerably less than in Great Britain. Here is an example of tlie complexities of costs due to differing standards of living in varius countries, and it is evident no hard and fast rule can control tlie situation, which is governed in its entirety by the exigencies of supply and demand in tlie ordinary international trading relations.