THE PREMIER AND THE SHIPPING SERVICES.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12502, 25 May 1906, Page 8

THE PREMIER AND THE SHIPPING SERVICES.

A REPLY FROM THE SHAW, SAVILL AND ALBION CO.

"The Press" has received a cable meseage from London in reply to statements made by the Premier in hi* Geraldme bpeeoh on Marcu 10th, charging certain companies witn vying to break awn tno Wast of -Liigiand cervice estab;i»hed by the Government, 'iflc lolloping l* mc text ot tno niecsajjc:— . "Luv .Suaw, Savill and Albion tehipping Company lnlorm.-. tut Aiteiwjiau liaxiiiiti MMRi LiuiLiueritmwtd kyvvvii ul beiaiuuie in .Uarcxi Cv»uvt,-yt> qai'e a uiuiig liapi>.««ion, iu;u j-ia eviueutiy ix-en uaaeci on erroneous liuonuation Junnsneii to lum. -No attempt luit> tieen luauo by any .-nipping company or combination nueiterc v>un the luilcat tß's lor Uiiect, conveyance to ami ttoin West CoaeC ports. UJiou tno Government >^ v<i tile r MI I H port, to tne I'l-ucwi in tpuo <ji a Umi\ txistnig aorvicj lijhi the West Coa&t oi Jbngunid, tlie. otner nnea uiouyut, nicy w<. , ie liaruly usvd, but tiiey acceptwl tnv; lact, ana nwde arrangementis wlieieuy ti:oy <JtU not, nueneie witn tne rcut'iai Line. m.r compete in tlie carnage oi prwiuce to tiio West Tney "Hi not conipeto unitwa the rederal Line tuuin ot Lonuon «ngo, ana to toicos rcpriiuls. TiK'io bten no change oi action or policy in n-aiii to Amerioan cargo. Tlie otner liui'b oari'ied Ameiiuiin cargo to .Now /.eaiiiiiU in tt:t-ir siiiiw and steamers long Oeiore aaect bteani loadings hum America wore liiougnt of, and tinco direct (stfainers stiom-.Nt'W lork liavo been put tvil by tlio Peuoial Lino anU otiujr;:, tne same Uiaig nan been continued, th-e moie frequent tannics via Lonilcu bcijig prt'it-rrod by many to tne Jong interval ot "tho Anicncan steamers, nnd tlicir iritormwliate oall.s at Australian \x>ns. Tne rates accepted via London have throughout been governwl Uy the rates cunxjut oy tho steamers from America, wiiieh, unlortunateiy, at tunes have been very low. The .Now Zealand liners are in no tonto controlled by any American eombiue. Tne ttliaw, Savill and Albion and White Star Lines luid relations long before the Morgan combine was thought of. The-e relations did not give tho White Star Line any control of the management, their interests being limited to ownership or part owneiship of certain steamers used in the iine. £since then the White fctar or American influence has been in no way increased. The whole control and management is in the hands of the iShaw tJavill and Albion Company, and the White Star interest is not even represented on their Board. Mr beddon's reputation for fairnqss is considered a justification for the publication ot the foregoing, which otherwise might be thought controversial or antagonistic. It is felt that the Preiser would be the last knowingly to convey a wrong impression or to do an injustice to any one, least of all to those who ho grants liave done good service to the colony." [In the course of the speech joferred to, the Premier stated tnat in order to open fresh markets to the producers of the colony, the Government established the Weet vJoast eomee, to get the products of the colony sent direct to Manchester and otner ckio*. >iow he found a shipping combination frying to break down that bcrvice whach took the contract, and t'ho motit recent information that had reached him was that tihere wae to bo no more return cargo given to the Federal, Company, which was considered to have injured the White Star line and the other companies associated with it. That was how the colony was to be punished. Tho other oompan.es, so it was said, were going to compete via London, and were going to give American exporters an advantage over the Bii'tish exporters in the same steamers, and were not going to give any ca.go to the West Coast service. Ho said the people of the colony were not to be p!a«d with, and rather than New Zealand should be under the hoel of any Amerioan combine, ho would ask Parliament and tho people to give tho Government their own steamers, and they would then take the colony's produce* to London themselves. Tho Government could easily charter vessels, and, if necessary, out of tho next three-quartere of a million surplus, they could start their own line. He admitted 'thait the direct lines had done good service to tne colony, and at a time wihen the people wore not in tho position they were today, but when the American combine controlled one of compan es and when the other were going to link themselves agairst what was in the best interests of the colony, they had got to realise that New Zealand and its people were as powerful, if not more powerful, than any flipping company in tho known world.]