SHIPPING PROBLEM.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 March 1921, Page 5

SHIPPING PROBLEM.

NEW ORGANISATION PROPOSED. BY PRODUCERS’ INTERESTS. STATE AID SUGGESTED. r By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The following proposals for a producers’ mercantile shipping board were laid before a meeting of a New Zealand freezing companies last week in Wellington and received favorable consideration. The proposals are to be further considered at a combined meeting of producers and freezing companies’ representatives in Wellington on Thursday next:— (1) That the Government, having first obtained ,the assent of the farming and dairying interests, through their respective organisations, be requested to provide by legislation for the establishment of a board of mercantile shipping with powers sufficient to enable it: (a) to provide inter alia for the overseas carriage of exports and imports; (b) to enter into any contracts for such carriage with any shipping company or companies; (c) to acquire suitable ships by way of charter, purchase, or constrution; (d) to utilise any ships, howsoever to fix rates to be charged, and to prescribe the conditions and priorities for carriage by such ships; (e) with the appoval of the Minister to make bylaws for the regulation of all. matters incidental to the administration, control, and supervision of such shipping; (f) with the approval of the Minister, from time to time, to borrow moneys as may be required by way of fixed loan, debentures, overdraft or otherwise; (g) with the approval of the Minister to receive moneys from producers’ organisations, freezing companies, or other bodies or persons, by way of voluntary contributions in order to accumulate a capital fund, or to provide interest or sinking fund fort any loan or loans. (2) Any fixed loan approved by the Minister to be guaranteed by the Crown, or raised as a Government loan. (3) The mercantile shipping board to be constituted so that at least one half of its members shall be elected by representatives of the principal exporting industries and the remaining members nominated by the Crown, one of such nominees being nominated as president. (4) Provided the Government representation as herein provided is approved subsidy upon /all contributions received by the board in any year, as- voluntary contributions under clause 1 sub-cl&use (g), should be granted by the Crown. (5) That all moneys accumulating in the hands of the board, and not required for the purposes of immediate administration, be invested at short call with the Public Trustee or in New Zealand Government securities.