PAYING 35 PER CENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 230, 27 September 1915, Page 7

PAYING 35 PER CENT.

THE BIQ GERMAN MONOPOLY AT OUR FRONT DOOR. HOW* IT OPERATES IN THE ISLANDS. lIEADQI'ARTERS IX SAMOA. SHAREHOLDERS IN HAMBURG. The protest which the Auckland Chamber of Commerce m making against the manner in which the Inland trade in the Western Pacific continues to be monopolise J by the Germane hae aroused considerable interest. In Samoa, Tonga, and the elands of the Friendly Group, a firm known as the l>.H. and P.U. carries on a tremendous volume of trade, and * believe,) to be doing quite five times the business of Uβ nearest rival, the Uurne-Philp Company. The war has not made the slightest difTerencejto ius operations, despite the fact that it n a oomjiany whose shareholders live in Hamburg, whose heßd adieu is in our r*c*ently acquired fKHMereion of Samoa, and w'nexe business places ar« to be found everywhere throughout Dm' British protectorate of Tonga. The Chamber of Commerce has aAed the Prime Minister to appeal to the Imperial Government to take action. TTMB FOR RESTRICTIONS. As Mated on Saturday, the Admiralty took |H**e*sion of the German funVs vc»»el El fried? an a prize shortly after the outbreak of the war. but did nothing to otherwise reetnet the operation* of the firm. Thereupon as already men tioned, the Gurman» obtained tbe services of another boat, the Li/Jic Taylor, now in Auckland. Tim n>>rnin:j Mr. Robert Millar, of Millar an 1 Co.. inland mer-| chant*, referred to the matter in the j counte of an interview Hw firm are agent* for the Lizzie Taylor, and the 1 Tceael i<-. be nays, now in Auckland to! load Public Worku «toro« for the Tongmn Government. She is not chartered by the German firm, and is carrying cargo for all snd sundry to and in the le-Unda the same an the Tnion steamship Com-! par.ynnd the Yea!>cl are doing. Mr. Millar admits, however, that the v«»cl . was previously used by the German com pany. "The piwltinn Is certainly an extraordinary one." added Mr Millar. "The D.H. and P.G. hohi a big monoply of the island trade, and the war ha« not made I the slightmt dilTfren.>p to their busimw. 'Their head office in in Apia, but a,ip»r lently Colonel I-ogan is powerles« to plac* I any restriction* on them there, sny: more than the British authority* are. I able, to do in the Pn>tet-tor.a!o «(.pugs.; I The laot balance «Wt of thn Ti.ll. and P.G. w!i>h I fca» »howp<l « dindend of 2S per crnt, sn.l a bonus of seven per 'cent. The Tonu-»n r «~.j.le would, 1U- , Iliere. be glad enough to *cc the I'.er | I man firm «npprr«»ed. for there are plenty, lof British ftrr.* anxioin to inrreajie their' j trade. The Burn... Philp <"o. ha* a fair j connection, .ip have A T. I>ay and W. I Cocker, of T.mza. the Fletcher Co.. of |Vavua. an.l !1 J. Brown, of Nukualofa.' These snd other Urn* could easily ma:nts'n the Wand business if the opportunity arose. At pre sent, however, it » doubtful if any of them does a fifth of the, business of their stronger rival, the Ger man firm. Certainly the Chamber of Com- ■ merce * juatifled in its action." TONGA WOULD WELCOME IT. A decidedly interesting sUiU-tnent was that made by Mr. K. N. Moody, when Vrn by a "Star"" representative. Mr Moody is legal odvlicr in New Zealand to the ! Tongaa UoMrnment, and when wsr broke ; out he was on a visit to the Islands, and : was detained for a gi«id many weeks at | Nukualofa, consequent upon the cessation of shipping, due to the preserx-r of German warships in tbew waters. Mr. Moody was naturally interested in ancrrtaining the feeling of" King snd Government after j the outbreak of war, and there was not ' the slightest doubt, he says, that it was j pronouncedly favourable to the British. ■ P.efernng to the operations of the D.H. and P.G., Mr. Moody said the Herman | firm unquestionably exercised a great | monopoly in the Island trade, anil the war had not mode Uk» slightest difference to '■ the volume of its husinesft. It had been j suggested that to place any restriction on ', the German firm would be to hard- i ships on the natives in some of the outly- j ing island*. This was incorrect. TYre j were numerous firms—British firm*— | striving to compete with the big German i firm, ajid ther would readily step into | any breach which might occur. "It soeins j tome to ho manifestly unjust," added Mr. j Moody, "that a German firm should be j allowed to go on making profits, which find their way through to Germany, while j at the same time the firm goes on building up a trade which, at the end of the war, will leave them in a position stronger than ever, to combat their competitors. I am ijuite satisfied, from my association with the Tongan Government, j that the first request from the Imperial j Government would result in the cessation ! of German trade there. There is no more reason why the (ierman should bo allowed to continue to make profits out of the British and the jieople in a Britifih protectorate than in New Zealand or Tahiti. Just imagine what would be the case if the position were reversed, and Engliah traders held a monopoly of trade in Tongn under (irrman protection. Why should »c differentiate?" A RECEIVER SUGGESTED. The president of the Chamlx-r of Commere* (Mr. E. Anderson) has not yet received any reply from the Prime ' [ Minister relating to his xuggestion that ! a protest should be made to the British i! Government "From my remarks in the j •' course of an interview on Saturday," | i ! s.iid Mr. Anderson, "it might seem us !I if I implied that New Zealand firms were to blame for supply ing the Herman firm. 1 want it to Iw clearly underI Btood that these firms say that they would prefer not t<) do IniHiiiesn with the German firm, but they know that if thny failed to do so. orders would simply I pass into the hands of Australian competitors. They therefore supply the j German firm in order to protect their j own island interest*. Sfvernl of the i. merchants I have seen," added Mr. n< Anderson, "are strongly of ttio opinion • that the British authorities should place tj a receiver ill charge of the German busig nPM, That has l«'cn done in the case g of German firms both in Australia and s New Zealand, and Iβ the least that ■ should be done In the ca»e of this parJ ticular concern."