CONTROLS OVER SHIPPING

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31041, 22 April 1966, Page 11

CONTROLS OVER SHIPPING

N.Z. Press Assn. —Copyright) CANBERRA, Aprl 21. The Federal Government will have power to outlaw restrictive arrangements by Conference Line shipowners which fail to protect Australia’s interests. Legislation introduced in Parliament provided penalties ranging from 1000 dollars to 50,000 dollars.

The Minister for Trade and Industry (Mr McEwen) will administer the provisions of the legislation. The legislation lists five grounds for disapproval of agreements by Conference

Lines carrying cargoes from Australia. The Government can disapprove such agreements without an inquiry by the Trade Practices Tribunal on these two grounds:— If a shipowner failed to comply with a notice requiring it to appoint a resident Australian representative. If a shipowner failed to give an undertaking to negotiate with a shipper body on terms and conditions of outwards shipping. The Government can disapprove of an agreement, after consideration by the Trade Practices Tribunal, on these

three grounds:— If the shipowner failed to comply with an undertaking to negotiate with a shipper body. If the parties to the agreement were acting without due regard to the need for Australia’s overseas cargo services to be efficient, economical, and adequate. If the parties were preventing or hindering an Aus-tralian-flag shipping operator from engaging efficiently in the trade to a reasonable extent..

The Attorney-General (Mr Snedden) introduced the legislation in the House of Representatives yesterday. It amends the Trade Practices Act which Parliament passed last year. Mr Snedden said the House would not pass the legislation until the Budget session, which normally begins in August. The Government had decided that Parliament should determine, through legisla-

tion, the principles applying to ocean shipping arrangements. It believed that the Government should apply the principles rather than have them administered by a regulatory tribunal. The Australian Government’s apparent attempt to exercise control by legislation over shipping services to and from Australia was entirely unjust and must be resisted, the chairman of the Australian and New Zealand

Merchants and Shippers’ Association (Mr N. Jones) said in London today. Speaking at the association’s annual meeting, Mr Jones also expressed regret that the New Zealand Government had found It necessary to reduce import quotas for the year ahead.

Mr Jones said the Australian controls would be on the lines of existing legislation directed against restrictive practices.