INTERCOLONIAL SERVICE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 52, 17 October 1914, Page 6

INTERCOLONIAL SERVICE.

EXPLANATION BY THE SHIPPING COMPANIES. , [Pbe Press Association.] .Dunedin, October 17. There has been comment lately in business 1 circles in regard to the curtailment of the intercolonial service between the southern ports of New Zealand and Australia. The Union Company point out, in response to inquiries, that the war has disorganised trade in many ways, there being a reduction both in passengers and in cargo traffic. The shipments from Sydney and Melbourne were largely transhipments from German and French vessels from the dast and other places, and these had practically ceased. There had also been a fall-ihg-off in the exports to Australia. Apart from the effects of the vtar, the trade between Bluff and Dunedin and Australian ports had been meagre for some time, the reason being that a great proportion of the export trade was now being diverted to direct steamers trading to the Continent and America and this had an adverse effect on intercolonial trade, which previously benefitted owing to the fact that it was greatly used for transhipment purposes. In addition, the Australian market was not now so good as it was before the establishment of the Commonwealth, owing to the abolition of State duties. The present service, however, was only tentative, and representatives of shipping companies were now conferring with a view to inaugurating a- service, details of which would probably be available next week.