OVERSEAS SHIPPING.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 October 1920, Page 6

OVERSEAS SHIPPING.

OVERTURES TO WANGANUI.

BY TARANAKI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. (Wanganui Herald.) For some time past the Taranaki Cliambcr of Commerce has been moving in the direction of establishing a direct shipping service between England and New Plymouth. The Mamari is due there with 1500 tons of cargo for Taranaki importers in aboiit a. fortnight's time, and the Taranaki people hope this \yill,bc the forerunner of a regular overleas service. Lately the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce has been active in organising the importers of the province to arrange for their requirements to come by the direct boat:;, and the response has been as gratifying to the Chamber as it has been, considerable. The importers of Taranaki, like those of Wanganui, have of late been put to very heavy loss and inconvenience over the delay in tranfhipments at Wellington, and the need for some other means of obtaining their goods has been forcibly brought homo to them, so. it is perhaps not surprising that the movement to cut away from Wellington has gained such strength. The Taranaki people are now endeavoring to arrange with the shipping companies to put on a boat every three months from England to New Plymouth, ft is anticipated there will be no trouble in arranging for the service, providing the necessary cargo is available. As Taranaki imports something like 63,000 tons a ye.ir. the majority of the cargo being from England, it is not expected that there will be any difficulty in securing from 1500 fo 2001) tons a quarter for a direct service.

But the Taranaki people hope this direct qiinrtcrly service will soon give way to a monthly one, and with this end in ' iew the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce, at a- meeting on Friday, decided to approach the Wanganui Chamber to ascertain if it is not possible for the two districts to join together in getting their imports direct from England to New Plymouth. A letter outlining the scheuio is to be sent, with the offer to send down a deputation to go into details with the Wanganui Chamber.

The Taranaki Chamber are of the opinion that it will be to Wansanui's

advantage to co-operate with them in the matter, that is. they say. if Wanganui is subject to the same delay and Ins-'es at Wellington as Taranaki importers. They consider that, on many lines, it would pay Wanganui to rail their goods from New Plymouth, though on heavier goods sea carriage from New Plymouth to Wanganui would be cheaper. _ ,It may be mentioned that the harbor improvements at New Plymouth have reached such a stage that the Cunaixler Port Pirie, capable of carrying 14,800 tons of cargo, is now in the port, loading meat and cheese from Patea. AA'ailira, and New Plymouth, whilst the big American liners bringing oil to New Zealand make New Plymouth a port of call. It may also be remembered that a big cargo of phosphates reached Wanganui from Ocean Island per New Ply-'" mouth. The Taranaki folk arc. now receiving their reward for their faith and enterprise in constructing a deep-sea harbor, safe in all weathers, at all stages of the tide, and capable "of berthing the largest vessels trading to the Dominion. The whole question, of course, is a matter of pounds, shillings and pence. Wanganui importers will want to know the exact freights and cost of railage from the New Plymouth Breakwater to Wanganui. If they are less than from Wellington, then it would be a distinct advantage to trade with New Plymouth. Even if the charges were a little more, local traders might prefer an arrangement with New Plymouth rather than suffer inconvenience and loss occasioned by delays in Wellington and the mounting up of storage charges there. DISCUSSION BY WANGANUI CHAMBER. The suggestion that Wanganui importers should arrange to have their goods from Great Britain sent via New Plymouth instead of Wellington was briefly discussed at the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce on Monday night, but it was agreed to wait until official information was received from New Plymouth before considering the proposition seriously. Mr. P. Higgenbottom suggested that ing the event of the Chamber deciding to agree to such a proposal it should endeavour to arrange with the Union Company to include Wanganui as a port | of call for the iMapourika on its Wel-lington-New Plymouth run. The Company would probably do that providing L sufficient inducement offered. Back loading would probably be available.

Mr. AA 7 . Brown satd he did not think much wool would be shipped to Wellington for transhipment; it would lie all reserved for shipment here. The chairman suggested that a committee should be set up to investigate tiie proposal when it was definitely set lief ore the Chamber. It would be all a matter of costs. He also suggested that the committee might at the same time endeavour to arrange with one of the overseas companies to take direct shipments to Wanganui to be lightered in the roadstead.

Mr f Rankin remarked that the freight rates to New Plymouth were 5s per ton higher than those to AA'ellington. The discussion dropped without anything definite being done.

VIEWS OF HARBOUR BOARD CHAIRMAN.

Speaking to a Herald representative on Monday morning upon the. matter of transhipments from New Plymouth instead of AA'ellington. the chairman of the Harbour Board (Mr. A. (I. Bignell) said that it was all a question of costs, and he personally agreed that it would be a good thing to arrange for cargo to be transhipped to that port. There would probably not be so much delay in forwarding the transhipments on to AA'angnmii. The New Plymouth Harbour Board had spent a great deal of money in obtaining a harbour and he did not grudge the Board its success and if Wanganui people could do anything to help the Board they should do so.