STILL DISSATISFIED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 16, 20 January 1931, Page 9

STILL DISSATISFIED.

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

PANAMA MAIL SERVICE

MINISTER'S REPLY .CRITICISED.

In the view of "the Auckland Chamber of Corhmerce the position'.regarding the ocean mail service via; Panama is still far. from satisfactory.. "The, public statement of the Postmaster-General that Auckland will be included as a terminal port sounded,well enough, hut it does not coincide with the contents of a telegram I have just received from Mr. Donald," commented the.president, Mr. Malcolm Stewart, this morning. ;

The Minister's, message stated, that all shipping companies and agents for oversea companies had been advised on January : 5 that ■ tender* for a service via Panama, providing for Auckland as a.first or a final port of' call, would be considered..'''•• • : -.-■.■■

. "It appears that sthis." has; been ;done as an afterthought," said Mr. Stewart.

"Our view is that if. any tender is accepted Auckland must-be a terminal port for inward and outward mails, • similar to Wellington." The Minister's reply;does not meet the request of the. Chamber of Commerce. What we have asked,for and- what wo want, is an immediate amendment of the conditions of contract making it clear that the Gcrvico must he'to Auckland and Wellington, on somewhat similar lines to the existing service. Merely to say that tenderers have been advised that a service to Auckland will be considered is ridiculous, and the Minister's statements ou the .matter have been quite misleading.

"We decidedly desire Auckland to retain its present position, and that can l>o possible only by accepting \a tender that includes Auckland as well as Wellington. There should be no beating about the biieh. on this question. Without further delay the contract conditions should be altered to place Auckland definitely on the same footing as Wellington, for the purposes of ,thc tender."