COASTAL SHIPPING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3962, 29 June 1929, Page 3

COASTAL SHIPPING.

BIG DECREASE OF RECENT YEAR-S. •Captain Holm, of the Holm Shipping |Go., made an interesting statement in reference to coastal shipping at the gathering held in the Town Ball sapper-room, on Wednesday to celebrate the reopening of the local port. Coastal shipping, has greatly decreased around New l Zealand during the last twenty years, said Captain Holm, and today there are 186 less vessels trading on our coasts than there were in 1908. In 1908 there were 388 vessels engaged in coastal work in New Zealand waters, finding employment fojr 2926 men and boys, exclusive of officers. To-day there are only 206 vessels engaged in the trade employing 1816 men and boys. This was a very serious state of affairs for New Zealand and it was brought about chiefly by the opening up of coastal ports which enabled overseas vessels to call. Motor and rail transport had also bad a very serious effect on shipping and had been responsible in a lalrgei measure for the falling off of trade to many of the small ports which were easy of access by rail and road. There is no doubt about it that carriage by sea was cheap carriage, he said, and this method of transport should pay where" other means of transport could not. Given a fail' chance shipping would come .back and pay and he was very pleased to see Foxton supporting it.