SHIPPING LAWS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 71, 23 March 1912, Page 7

SHIPPING LAWS.

CRITICISM BY LIVERPOOL SHIPOWNERS [FBOM OUE OWN COEBJECTONDENT.I ' LONDON, 9th February. Tho Liverpool Steam Ship Owners' Association, which represents something like two and a-half million tons net of sieain bottomage, has something to say about Australasian shipping legislation which is oi 4pecial interst to New Zealand. Sir Norman Hill, the secretary of the Association, says in his annual survey that the association fully appreciates the desire of the Dominions to encourage British shipping, as indicated in tne motions brought before the Imperial Conference, but it doubts whether the Dominions are aware of the actual conditions under which international shipping is carried on. The association claims to have used its best endeavours for many years to assist the Llominions in their desire for wider legislative powers, and it claims some credit for the original drafting of the Bill of 1906, which ha«i already had "a very remarkable effect in bringing foreign safety regulations into harmony with those ia force in the United Kingdom." It also points out that while the number of British seamen has increased since lUOI from 172,000 to 202,000, the foreigners have decreased from 37,000 to 30,000. ■ HOW TO GET UNTFORMTnr. The association olaims to be in sympathy with the Australasian desire for uniformity*, but it does not agree with New Zealand that it will conduce to this end if the Dominions are entrusted with powers to legislate in respect of both iSrifieh and foreign shipping engaged in the world's carrying trade. Out of the total British registered tonnage of 13.348.000 tons, 86.8 per cent, belongs to the United Kingdom, and the tonnage is employed in foreign trades as follows : — per cent. With United Kingdom ... 27.7 ' With British possessions ... 14.0 With foreign countries ... 58.3 Of the total imports into the United Kingdom 77 per cent, are from foreign countries, and 23 per cent, from the. Empire, and of the exports the proportions are Foreign, 70 per cent. ; British possessions, 30 per cent. OUR LITTLE LOT. "The total tonnage owned by Australia and New Zealand," ■ the statement continues,, "is 558,487 tons, representing 4.1 per cent, of the total British tonnage. The entrance and clearance xn foreign trades in Australian and New Zealand ports together represent 3.2 per cent, of the total entrances and clearances of British ships in the porfls of iihe world ; and Australia and New Zea land together send 8.7 per cent, of the imports received by the United Kingdom and take 8.6 per jcent. of its ex» ports." The standards regulating British, shipping, Sir Norman continues, must be framed to meet the conditions under which it is generally employed:* and any attempt by the Dominions, each of which finds only a small percentage of that employment, to enforce their own and possibly differing standards -will lead not to uniformity but to hopeless confusion. The only possible' oasis upon which the special labour legislation of Australasia can be maintained is tho rigid exclusion from the coasting trades of all vessels which do not comply with the requirements. But in the carrying trade of the world neither Australia nor New Zealand nor the United Kingdom can effectively regulate the employment of shipping; still less can they raise freights to cover 'such, extra cost as the coastwise regulations of Australia and New Zealand may entail. I "Any attempt to apply such legislation to foreign vessels on the- high teas meiely because one of the ports happened to be within the Empire would b-s entirely opposed to all recognised principles of international trade, and would provoke retaliatory measures against British shipping in foreign port*-." A NEW ASPECT. The shipping conference is an aspect of th© question which was not considered at the Imperial Conference, which Sir Norman considers strange in view of the apprehension with which, fch© Dominions view th© conferences. "In tha opinion of- the association," he says, "the powers of the shipping conferences have been greatly exaggerated, but beyond question such powers would be enormously increased in any Dominion that succeeded in establishing its own standards for the ships engaged in its foreign trade. Instead of, as now, having at its service th© shipping of not only the United Kingdom but th© world, its wants would have to be supplied by ships specially built, or adapted, or manned, in compliance with -those standards. Ifc would deprive itself, however pressing might be its necessities to market its product*, of the services of th« great mass of shipping that is built and manned to accept every employment offering; and therelby would shut out that free and open competition which imposes absolute limits on the powers of all shipping conferences." Mr. Justice Sun and the members of the Court of Arbitration leave for Napier on Tuesday. Mr. James Mackenzie, who was recently promoted to th© Surveyor-General-ship of the Lands Department, i* a brother of the Premier-elect, .the Hon. Thomas Mackenzie. With Mi-. J. fetrauchon, who k now Under- Secretary of the Lands Department, they were boys together in Otago/and the younges* of them, Mr. T. Mackenzie, is on the eve of taking the highest position attainable in New Zealand. If Mi-. T. Mackenzie succeeds to the position of Minister of Lands, it is mentioned as a coincidence that he will have for his two thief officers two old schoolfellows. _ "Traveller" wishes to call the attention of th© authorities to the dangerous practice of motorists in cutting at high speed between the tramway waiting shed and tramcars at Post Office-square. He mentions two occasions, when serious accidents to passengers were just averted in time. In each of the cases ho describes- the motorcars were quite on the wrong, side of the road, coming from tho direction of Jervoifi-quay. Hb askb, if it would not bo the duty of motor carscoming froir< tho bppusite direction, from Thorndon-quay, to pass on the other side also. 'J'he new motor by-lavr provides that vijth tramcars the motor must keep to its proper aide of the road, that is the left, but xm«t pull up behind a tram stopping and \vait for the passengers to mount ihe car or dismount from it. It also provides ior a reduction in speed to iwr miles an hour where thfe distance hetvttaii the step of the tram car and the kerb Is wore than seventeen feet. A AUher iiulooked-for result of tha (jsnernl prof peri cy of Invercargill and of tho ouhancod values of land created by f lift tramway ■sjvteni was evidence at the sitting of the Tensions Court on Saturday {tepijrtathii local Times). Seve:'d\ 'Jd-age pensioners found that their jjensions would have to be reduced simply Lt'cau/t of the fuel that the value of fceclioik. hold by thoin had lately 'increased -o jjjticl). In ijnu ewe a seutiou upon wliKiij thn Government valuation was £60 ha<l reo«iitJy bt«on u>l<J for »ouie £500. Another boction, which «ac valued pome two .76a.r0 ago st £290, 1* now regarded at being worth at leaat £768.