HIGH PORT CHARGES

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 May 1938, Page 3

HIGH PORT CHARGES

JAPANESE CRITICISM. [FEB PBESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, May 18. Mi' N. Nomura, Sydney representative of Osaka Shosen Kaisha, who has been in New Zealandi for about a month, visiting all the ports investigating shipping, with the possibility of extending the line’s operations, will leave to-night by the Awatea. Ho said, in an interview, that Japanese merchants had little knowledge of the position in New Zealand, and for this reason he advocated a regular exchange o£ visits of merchants between flip two countries, so that they might better understand the difficulties and problems in marketing produce and. goods. The port charges in New Zealand ho thought rather high.

“Sometimes the port charges are . much higher than the freight charges ; we obtain, and on to pof that we have | the cost of discharging and loading,” I he said. “My company would like to ] see port charges reduced to the < amount of freight charges, it we do not obtain very much cargo in a port. If, however, we obtain so much cargo tliat the freight charges arc higher than the port charges, then standard rates could be charged. Ho instanced the loading ol guano at Noumea or Walpole Island for New Zealand importers to show the disadvantage of high porj, charges. These cargoes were usually required at Wanganui and New Plymouth, but the port charges there made it unprofitable to sail direct, unless sufficient inducement for loading could be obtained.