PACIFIC SHIPPING

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 4, 5 July 1939, Page 9

PACIFIC SHIPPING

WELLINGTON'S CLAIM

TERMINAL OF SERVICE

Wellington's claims as a terminal for Pacific shipping services are again to be advanced by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. A motion was carried by the council of the chamber last evening to interview the Union Steam Ship Company on the subject, especially in view of the possibility of two new ships being built for the service. Mr. K. H. Nimmo said that Wellington's endeavours to secure a share of Pacific shipping had been misinter preted in other centres. It had been suggested that Wellington desired to advance at the expense of Auckland That was not so. All that Wellington asked was that it should receive a fair share of Pacific shipping. The position was aggravated by the fact that.Auckland had been chosen as the base of the trans-Pacific and trans-1 Tasman air services, and Wellington's isolation had become greater than ever. Formerly Wellington was the terminal of the San Francisco service, but now all the services were centred in Auckland. The chamber had to hammer away until Wellington secured its fair share. If they were successful in securing their objective, the chamber would be rendering a very great service to Wellington, to the South Island, and, indeed to the whole of New Zealand. He moved that a deputation from the chamber should wait on the Union Steam Ship Company on the matter. The motion was seconded by Mr. A. R. Hislop and carried.

Reporting on the deputation which recently interviewed the Prime Minister and Minister of Defence regarding the claims of Wellington as a base for the trans-Tasman air service, the president (Captain S. Holm) said one of the principal points made was that the service should be . triangular one. When conditions wevt* unfavourable in Auckland, landings could be made in Wellington and vice versa. Mr. M. F." Luckie said the deputation had received a sympathetic hearing, and the Prime Minister had seemed impressed by the arguments advanced in favour of alternative bases. That might be a way out of the difficulty.

On the motion of Captain Holm, it was decided again to ask the Government to supply the chamber with a copy of the report on Rongotai aerodrome or, alternatively, to release the report for publication.