Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, JANTARY 13. 1920. SHIPPING FOR DOMINIONS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2077, 13 January 1920, Page 2

Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, JANTARY 13. 1920. SHIPPING FOR DOMINIONS.

THE question ot‘ shipping services between Britain and the Dominions was (lie subject of comment' recent: - *ly by the London Times. Remarking that a year had passed since the signing of the armistice, the Times soys the number of ships allotted to services to the Southern Dominions and India is still very far from adequate to deal with the passen•ger and freight (rattle, which is crying out for better facilities. Hitherto shortage of shipping has been accepted as justification for the present accumulations of cargoes. Whether it be justifiable or not it is impossible to deny the growth of a, good deal of .scepticism regarding the adequacy of the plea of shortage of vessels at the present time. This .scepticism is largely based on the number of new services to the Baltic and Black Sea which are coming into existence. These now lines are extremely profit able to those who operate them, for the reason that the vessels concerned are used in a. very similar way to those employed in the merchant trading voyages pf bygone centnri-i es. Large warehouses have hecn acquired by the shipping companies which are engaging in these voyages, at 1 Baltic and Black 6ea ports. The outward cargo is landed .and stored hy the shipping companies, and is only reelased against the receipt of equivalent quantities of local products, which form the return cargo./ The shipping companies .concerned not only earn very handsome freight rates, hut receive commission on the barter transactions and fa rehouse dues. It is asserted by critics that so long as inducements of this kind offer themselves it is useless to expect the shipping companies to take much interest in the development of the less profitable but none (he less essential Empire services. Yet shipping services are just as vital to the Empire as railway communication to a State.