WIN FOR MILLER IN OIL DISPUTE

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30715, 2 April 1965, Page 13

WIN FOR MILLER IN OIL DISPUTE

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.)

SYDNEY, April 1.

The former New South Wales lock forward who put his head down and charged the Federal Government over the question of importing oil tankers for the round-Australia run, Mr R. W. Miller, has won another round.

Mr Miller, the head of a brewery-collier-oil tanker investment company at this stage appears a clear winner on points in the running duel he has had with the Federal Government over the last 18 months.

How many rounds are still to go is undecided, but the betting on the one-time lock has increased to the stage where he is an almost odds-on favourite.

Several weeks ago Mr Rod Miller, chief of the Miller group of companies, announced he would have to quit the oil tanker business because of alleged antagonism by the oil companies against ships of the Miller fleet and that the three ships in the Miller oil-tanker fleet were up for sale.

Now the Government has agreed to new measures which will ensure that Austra-lian-owned and manned oil tankers gain preference over foreign vessels in coastal trade—and Mr Miller has said that perhaps he won’t have to sell after all.

After a compulsory conference in Sydney the Depart-

ment of Shipping and Transport laid down two rules.

First, oil companies now must ask the owners of Australian tankers whether their vessels are available before they seek licences for foreign vessels to carry cargoes and, second, operators of Austra-lian-owned and registered tankers can appeal against the issue of licences to foreign ships if they consider they could have carried the cargoes.

After the conference Mr Miller described it as "a step in the right direction.” When he first announced his tankers were for sale, the move was interpreted in some quarters as a major bluff. And now the Government has brought in the new measures, the outcome is regarded as a major victory for Mr Miller.