Local Ownership Of Containers Urged

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31480, 21 September 1967, Page 24

Local Ownership Of Containers Urged

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, September 20.

Containers should be built and owned by New Zealand interests so that the hold the Conference Lines had on the transport of cargo to and from this country could be broken, the president of Auckland Federated Farmers (Mr A. W. Martin) said today at a meeting of the provincial executive.

“We would have strong support in this from the Federation of Labour and the Seamen’s Union which have pressed for a state-ow'ned shipping line,” he said.

“There is no doubt that shipping companies are going over to containerisation. What we have to do is ensure there is something in it for us. We can do that by owning the containers. “The Conference Lines want to control the internal movements of containers but that does not necessarily involve ownership.”

A resolution was carried that in the event of container shipping being adopted, ownership of containers be vested in a consortium of Government, importing and exporting interests, and that Australian and British interests be contacted to establish similar organisations. One member, Mr D. R. Hordan, said watch would have to be kept to see shipping companies did not use their own

containers to bring cargo into New Zealand and charge the consortium for the return of

empty ones. Mr Martin said New Zealand ownership would mean that if a better deal could be ob-

tained from other shipping companies these could be negotiated with.

Containers were being built to international specifications and were interchangeable, he said.