THE TRADE COMMISSION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 61, 14 March 1913, Page 6

THE TRADE COMMISSION.

SHIPPING AND CABLE MESSAGES.

(Por Press Association.) Auckland, March 14

At a sitting of the Commission, Mr Hame, engineer to the Harbour Board, discussing the port requirements and modern shipbuilding, said it was almost impossible to forecast the direction of modern marine development. He mentioned that a new steamer in course of building by the Hamburg-Amcrican Co. was over 900 feet in length. Sir William White, president of the Institute of Civil Engineers, had set down 40 feet as the maximum depth of water required for berthing, but they could not hope to get that 'depth here for some little time. The Port of London did not have it.

I. W. Leys, editor of the Star, dealing with the cable charges, quoted the recent reductions, and said that lie was quite certain not more than 10 per cent of the messages came from the general public. The deferred rate has been responsible, no doubt, for increased business, but like the ordinary 3s rate it was not low enough to make cables popular. The general public believed if the. 18s limit were removed from the week-end cable, this form of cable must be more extensively used. In his opinion, all tariff at a. shilling a word was much more satisfactory; probably it would attract a larger amount of non-coded messages from the general public. According to the Financial Statement, the Pacific Cable Board, at a uniform shilling rate, would pay if a cheap cable rate could Ho assured across the Atlantic by State-owned cable. A shilling a word for ordinary and sixpence for press messages did not appear at all unfair.

A FATAL FALL FROM WINDOW. (Per Press Association.) Christchurch, March) 1 I. * John Xorrie, aged 80, was killed at Kaikoura last night. Ho had been staying at the Commercial Hotel and was Bleeping in a room on the upper floor. He heard his son’s:, voice in the street below, and opened the window, and leaning out lost his balance, falling to the ground. Nome came from Balclutha.