AUSTRALIA AND SHIPPING

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 39, 14 August 1926, Page 20

AUSTRALIA AND SHIPPING

MAJOR ASTOR. M.P., ON THfl OUTLOOK.

Major Astor, M.P., was the guest at a luncheon given recently by the London Chamber of Shipping at the Great Eastern Hotel. Major Astor said that the psychology, political and economic, of Australia was, he thought, bound to play an important part in shipping affairs. The population of Australia was over 95 per cent. British. As Great Britain had always been a sea Power, one might expect Australia to be a seafaring nation, but it was not, and the Australian seemed to lose rapidly his interest in marine matters.

The members of the Press party last year, Major Astor proceeded, had some experience of the shipping strike, and several of them had to aband<- • their projected visit to Perth. In their innocence they thought then that the strike had gono to greater length! than would Be possible in this country. Th lived and learned. All that they heard and saw led them to believe that the present attitude of the Labour r rty was incompatible wit the development of a great Australian shipping industry, at any rate outside Australian waters:

Continuing, Major'Astor said he understood that in shipping circles there was a feeling that the great shipping interests were unpopular in Australia, that they were criticised, and even unjustly criticised, in the Australian ..Press. He had no recollection of hearing any serious criticism or specific charges. In one sense "he was sorry, for it would, at any rate, have shown a realisation of how vital to Australia were her communications with the rest of the world. He thought that if there was a Jack of understanding in this matter it was largely due to the physical remoteness of the coun' y and to its isolati n. Their depend c on their overseas trade was not so obvious to them as ours was to us. They did not appear to realise how immense were the services rendered to them. If this was so, it woull seem to be a case of informing them. Their geographical position did not facilitate this. More than once Australians said, "If only we had a C.P.R. to boost us?-" But that great amphibious company functirned both on land and sea, and was one of the world's best-used corridors. Australia, on the other hand, was in the position of a terminus with all the disadvantages of being at the end of everything, except a sort of cat's cradle of different railway gauges, which left the visitor guessing as to how tvs situation could possibly have been created.

/ j to How these disadvantages *could bo alloviated there was the possibility of advertising, but in this there was at once a great difference between the two countries. In England the shipping interests had many opportunities of making known facts about shipping. There were tho annual meetings of companies, of the Chamber of Shipping, and so on. If more could be done in this direction, ho would point out that Australia was a country of an immense number of small newspapers. Owing to the great distances, country districts relied largely upon their local organs. To a great extent it was tho country Press that reached their best friends, tho primary producers. On the whole, ho should say that Australians wero hardheaded and shrewd, and that a plain .statement of fact would "cut as much ice" as anything.