OCEAN TRANSPORT.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 October 1916, Page 7

OCEAN TRANSPORT.

To the Editor. Sir,—Your reference to this matter induces me to seek further consideration of it through the columns of your paper. There are, of course, many aspects of the question, and perhaps the first to be reviewed should be the Dominion, and, indeed, Imperial needs. The free and economical distribution of our products through overseas markets is a factor in Dominion prosperity equal in importance to free and plenteous production. Tlie regular arrival in England of products such as ours are simply vital to her existence. Tlie means of transport, therefore, constitute a "life-line" as vitally necessary to both portions of the Empire as the "life-line" is necessary to the deep-sea diver. This is a simple truism beyond contradiction. Ocean transport is tlie life-line of our progress and prosperity, both imperially and from a Dominion viewpoint. The general tendency of shipping for some years has been to combine, and in direct ratio to the development of this tendency and the consequent reduction of competition, there grows up the possibility (some (people assert the probability or certainty) of foreign trust methods obtaining control. Now, we may rest assured that when trust methods control our "life-line" the result will be far from pleasant to us. We may safely assume that the measure of trust demands would be the measure of our ability to resist. To what extent trust methods operate at the present time I leave to the candor of the reader, wli-o may, if he wishes, gain, some enlightenment therein by a perusal of the minutes relating to freight discrimination given before the 'Dominions Royal Commission in ISIS, published in a British Blue Book printed as C.D. 7170. I do, however, humbly express the opinion thiat the danger of trust control of our ocean transport is greater to-day than it has ever been. There are also grave dang&ra threatening British sup-

renvacy in shipping. The unrestricted Ojperationa of neutral shipping companies during the war period has given them an opportunity to amass enormous profits, and the ,interlace is that the immensely strong financial position they thus enjoy will operate unfavorably on the British ship-owner. The wastage by war of British shipping should be replaced by ships owned within the Empire anil not by foreigners. Previous to tihe declaration of war it was well known that German-owned shipping was extending its operations to this country. The prompt and effective work of the British Navy quickly drove all German boats off the trade routes, and we arc apt to forget their existence, or to fondly imagine that they will never again sail under German orders. Let there be no illusion on this :poin£: we shall have to jneet German shipping competition. The following words of Mr. Asquith's should dispel all doubts. He said: "Of course, Germany will have a great advantage over this country when the economic war commences by reason of her possession of those interned ships, which can and will be put into commission on her 'behalf the moment' the waii- terminates.' 1 At this point, Mr. Editor, my fear of your blue pencil overwhelms me, and I will conclude by asserting that the producers of New Zealand can and should put their shoulders to the wheel of Empire which carries us all and reaolutejy face this problem so far as it concerns Xew Zealand. The recent increase in freights and its aggregate cost to the producers are highly interesting, and practical proposals to secure control of our own ocean transport, or, as I call it, our "life-line," are alluring subjects. With an assurance from you of a welcome to your columns I would return to these subjects, as 1 find time and power, and rest content in the meantime in the belief that a sure remedy! lies close to the hands of the producers j of the Dominion.—l am, etc., ' J.B.RICHARDS. Stratford, October 9.