TRADE WITH JAPAN

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20502, 19 May 1938, Page 3

TRADE WITH JAPAN

POSSIBILITY OF EXTENSION AN AGENT’S INVESTIGATIONS PORT CHARGES CRITICISED (By Telegraph.—Press Association) WELLINGTON, Wednesday Mr N. Nomura, the Sydney representative of the Osaka Shosen Kaisha Shipping Line, who has been in New Zealand for about a month, visiting all ports, and investigating shipping matters, with the possibility of extending the line's operations, will leave to-night by the Awatea. He said in an interview that .Japanese merchants had little knowledge of Ihe position in New Zealand, and for this reason he advocated a. regular exchange of visits of merchants between the two countries in order that they might better understand the difficulties and problems connected with marketing produce and goods. Port charges in New Zealand he thought rather high. “Sometimes the port, charges are much higher than the freight charges we obtain," he remarked, ‘ and on top of that we have the cost of discharging and loading. My company would like to see port charges reduced to the amount of freight charges if we do not obtain very much cargo in a port. If. however, we obtain so much cargo that freight charges are higher than the port charges then the standard rates could be charged." Mr Nomura instanced the loading of guano at Noumea or Walpole Island for New Zealand importers to show the disadvantage of high port charges. These cargoes were usually required at Wanganui and New Plymouth, but the port charges there rendered it unprofitable to proceed direct unless sufficient inducement for loading cargo could be obtained.