Lucky Importers Reap Rich Harvest

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 458, 13 September 1928, Page 13

Lucky Importers Reap Rich Harvest

RESULT OF SHIPPING WAR HARM TO BRITISH TRADE Freights from Canada at the rate of £1 a ton is too good an offer to be missed, and New Zealand importers are taking full advantage of the opportunity provided by the present shipping war between the Canadian National Steamships and the New Zealand Shipping Company. . r No fewer than four steamers are now en route from Montreal to New Zealand, and each is said to be packed with general merchandise —all being carried at the reduced flat rate. FOUR FULL SHIPS^ The Canadian Conqueror is bringing cargo for Wellington, Lyttelton; Timaru, Dunedin and Bluff; the Canadian Winner carries cargo for Auckland and Wellington; the Canadian Explorer will call at Auckland and continue on to Australia.

The fourth vessel is the New Zealand Shipping Company’s chartered steafner Baron Inehcape, which .is bringing cargo for Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton and Dunedin.

Two other steamers —-the Canadian National Steamers’ Canadian Highlander, and the New Zealand Shipping Company’s Wirral —are scheduled to load at Montreal for New Zealand at the same low rate of freight. The Canadian Highlander is to sail for Auckland, Wellington, Lytteltonand Dunedin on September 25 and the Wirral will leave for the same ports five days later. The Canadian National Steamers have still another vessel, as yet unnamed, booked to load for New Zealand. RUINOUS RATE The Canadian National Steamers’ previous freight rates varied between eight dollars and 25 dollars a ton. It is admitted by both sides that the five dollar (£1) rate is ruinous, and cannot last long. In the meantime. New Zealand importers are reaping the harvest. "This do'es not mean that New Zealand consumers are going to receive the benefit,” said an Auckland business man this morning. "It is far more likely that importers are taking the opportunity of bringing in goods at cheap rates for storage until freight charges go back to normal. It is the importers with capital enough to do this who will profit from the position.” AMERICAN MANUFACTURERS^ He added that the war was unfortunate for it was bound to do harm to British trade. The fact was that the goods arriving at cheap freight rates were not necessarily British goods made in Canada. American manufacturers in the big industrial area extending from Chicago up to Montreal were sending goods to Montreal for shipment at the cheap rate, rather than to New York. Both New York shipping and industry in the British Isles were suffering.