PACIFIC SHIPPING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 38, 24 November 1937, Page 5

PACIFIC SHIPPING

PLANS IN THE MELTING-POT. TRADE AGREEMENT PROPOSAL. ACTION MAY BE UNNECESSARY. (United Press Association—Copyright.) (Received This Day, 10.40 a.m.) CANBERRA, This Day. The plans which have been under consideration during the last two years to safeguard British shipping interests in the Pacific are likely to be substantially modified and possibly may become unnecessary if the hopes for a trade agreement and general agreement for mutual co-operation between the Empire and the United States are realised. Three months ago an agreement between Britain, Australia and New Zealand and Canada for the provision of financial assistance for the construction of two fast modern passenger ships to carry the British flag in the Pacific was on the verge of completion. The Prime Minister (Mr J. A. Lyons) now announces that the discussions which followed the hitch in the plans have thrown the whole proposals into the melting-pot. POSITION OF BRITISH LINES. GOVERNMENTS CONFERRING. (Received This Day, 10.0 a.m.) LONDON, November 23. Speaking in the House of Commons the President of the Board of Trade (Mr O. Stanley) said that the British, Australian and New Zealand Governments were conferring on the position of British shipping in the Pacific. He was not in a position to make a statement whether financial arrangements had been reached for building new ships. He was aware of the concern, but the matter depended on other countries besides Britain. “We are prepared to play our part,” said the Minister. THE PROPOSED NEW LINES. NEW YORK, November 23. The correspondent of the Australian Associated Press learns that only the final word from the British Government, which is expected in a very short time, stands in the way of a public announcement of the details about the Australasian Pacific liners. It is understood that Sir Edward Beatty (chairman of the Canadian Pacific Railways), through whom the announcement probably will be made, has confided to friends that the plans are completed dowm to the smallest detail and the contracts for various divisions of the construction work are ready for signature. Moreover, the agent of the Canadian Australasian Line have already made purchases of large consignments of' special equipment in the United States for installation in the liners. Representatives of the line are ascertaining the traffic possibilities and arranging future alignments on bookings throughout the United States. JAPO-AUSTRALIAN CONFERENCE. NOT LIKELY BEFORE JANUARY. (Received This Day, 10.30 a.m.) TOKIO, November 23. The newspaper “Cliugai Shogyo” expects that the conference between Australian and Japanese shipping interests will not begin before January owing to the preliminary discussion of the agenda, notably whether to include New Zealand traffic, in which the Osaka Shosen Kaislia and Yamashita lines are particularly interested. AUSTRALIAN COMPANY’S VIEWS. NEW ZEALAND TRADE APART. (Received This Day, 12.40 p.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. Mr G. Rickards, a partner in Macdonald. Hamilton and Company, managing agents of the Eastern Australian Line, which is the only company other than the Japanese concerned in the proposed conference, is now on the way to Japan. He stated some time ago that his company did not wish to enter into any discussion regarding the New Zealand trade. Japanese vessels were running direct to New Zealand, but the Eastern Australian Line carried only New Zealand cargoes which were brought to Sydney and transhipped. The introduction of the New Zealand traffic into any discussion therefore would only tend to cloud an otherwise clear-cut issue.