CORRESPONDENTS' VIEWS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 135, 10 June 1942, Page 4

CORRESPONDENTS' VIEWS

TRANSPORT (To The Editor) It is indeed interesting, in fact almost amusing, to note in your issue of June 5 that the Hon. Mr. Semple, as Minister of Transport, is about to tour the north for the purpose of ascertaining what steps should be taken to make greater use of coastal vessels, to ease the acute problem of transport. Does Mr. Semple forget that it is owing to Government action that we now find ourselves with a shortage of coastal shipping. In the past a large sum of money was spent on improvement in the various coastal ports of New Zealand. but owing to Government restrictions on private enterprise, -and owing to the creation of a virtual monopoly for the railways of New Zealand, at the expense of the shipping companies, it became uneconomical for the said companies to operate, with the result that many coastal vessels were withdrawn from their trades, and very little, if any, new tonnage was added to the fleets. Restrictions imposed on shipowners, particularly with regard to survev costs, wages, etc., have spelt the "doom of our coastal trade, and notwithstanding the fact that the enemy is at our gate, we are but reaping what the Government has sown. BAROMETER.