ROYAL COMMISSION ON SHIPPING RINGS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8433, 3 May 1907, Page 5

ROYAL COMMISSION ON SHIPPING RINGS.

(From Qur London Correspondent.) LONDON, March 18th. ■ Mr F. W. Grimwacte* a partner in the ! firm of Messrs Grimwade and Ridley, Australian and New Zealand merchants,, of London, |gave|evidence this morning before the Royal Commission on Shipping Rings and Conferences, sitting at Winchester House, under the presidency of Mr Arthur Cohen, K.C. Mr Grimwade opinion that shipping rings and conferences were beneficial to British and colonial trade. The, l'ates* of freight had been kept more or less uniform by the effect of the rings, and that had been satisfactory both to merchants and shipowners. The merchants had the advantage of knowing that the freights would be uniform, and the shipowners knew they would get what freight was going-. The system of deferred rebates he considered entirely indefensible, giving the conferences undue power over merchants, arid creating an unjust system which could not be for the good of trade. Ir. his opinion deferred rebates should be done away with, by legislation, if necessary. The system of deferred rebates placed merchants too much at the mercy of the conference lines. The remedy could be easily arranged by a strong combination of the merchants 'on the one hand and the shipowners and brokers on the other. The merchants should sign an agreement to ship only by conference lines, and in exchange for that the shipowners should agree to give the lowest'rates of freight. In answer to- Sir David Barbour, the witness said he considered the conference system had the approval of the majority of merchants, small and large. Freights were, generally speaking, equal for all shippers.