PORT CHARGES

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 97, 29 April 1929, Page 12

PORT CHARGES

"UNNECESSARY ALARM"

DIFFERENTIATION . UNLIKELY

(By Telegraph.—l'ress Association.)

'GISBORNE, This Day. The Gisborne Harbour Board has received a communication from the head office of the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company, London, on the subject of the proposed abandonment of flat rate freight charges at New Zealand ports. In this the company states: "To "be quite candid, we think Gisborne and other wayside ports are unnecessarily alarmed at the action of the Wellington Harbour Board, as not for a moment can we believe that New Zealand as a whole will agree to give the producers in the neighbourhood of the main ports a certain preference over the producers at the roadstead ports. Prom the shipowners' point of view we probably would welcome an arrangement ' that would effect the curtailing of ports, loading and coastwise steaming, but this is a matter, controlled by the shipowner, as he is expected to cater for trade efficiently in fair or foul weather, and present his ship to lift cargo at' such points as it arises.

"We cannot believe for one moment that a differentiation can possibly be made in favour of the main ports to the detriment of the other ports, and shall be very much surprised if any legislation will be forthcoming that will in any way change the present system under which the smaller ports enjoy the same privileges as the larger ones."