DOMINIONS' ROYAL COMMISSION.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXXIX, Issue 57, 28 February 1913, Page 6

DOMINIONS' ROYAL COMMISSION.

DUNEDIN, Feb. 26. The Dominions' Royal Commiesioa continued its sittings to-day. Mr J. Blair Mason- (engineer of the Otago Harbor Board) informed the Commission of the condition of the harbor, and stated the improvements made. He told the members that the harbor can take all vessels at present trading to the Dominion. He could not state exactly what it would cost to deepen the channel to Port Chalmers to 40ft, but he estimated it at £50,000. Jj'e Board had borrowed about £817,000 tor the works, and paid or an average about five per cent. The Board's endowments included about 660 acres in the city. In years to come the Board's income would be more than sufficient to pay all interest charges, and provide a sinking fund to pay off loans.

Mr J. W. Henton (New Zealand Company) presented a remit of the Chamber of Commerce on the question of shipping subsidies, and read the following:—"That question of finance is an all-important factor in dealing with this question, and it appears to us that each case of subsidy should be considered on its merits and dealt with by such an organisation as the" Empire Development Department, and the cost of subsidy decided on and allocated between the points of the Empire benefiting. The freight on goods from Hamburg to New Zealand via London is considerably less than from London to New Zealand direct. A specific case has been furnished where the Ireight from Hamburg is 29a M per ton, and from London direct 40s per ton. There exists a preferential dutv of 10 per cent., and the difference in favor of the Hamburg shipment represents 17} per cent, of the duty. Mr Henton said that he did not know how such a state of affairs as a variation in freights could be remedied, but he held that it was the duty of the Government to see that the matter was attended to when considering preferential tariffs. Mr Jas. Park (Park and Co.) s--m\ that German goods were as cheap us British, even taking, the tariff into consideration. He thought on the whole that our own people were retaining the balance of trade, but there was always a demand in some lines for cheapness. His idea was that British ships kept the freights low for German goods, so that it would not be worth the while of the Norddeutscher line to send vessels direct to New Zealand.

Mr Mark Cohen, editor of the 'Evening Star,' gave evidence strongly in ii'"M)rt of an all-red cable, allowing code messages in all sections of cable telegraphy, and all-round reduction ot rates. Nothing had been done in response to the representations of the Imperial Press Conference. It was a step_ in the right direction that the British Government had decided to retain the right to control rates in respect to future landing agreements. I he Atlantic cable owners got od per ,T™„ ,fo F, goo ° miW - and another 10.000 indes cost only 4d.