N.Z. PORT CHARGES

Grey River Argus, 20 May 1938, Page 10

N.Z. PORT CHARGES

Higher Than Freight Rates

JAPANESE LINES COMPLAIN.

I Per Press Association.] WELLINGTON, May 18

Mr N. Nomura, Sydney representative of Osaka Shosen Kaisha, who has been in' New Zealand 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.” • He 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 of visits of merchants between the two countries, so that they might better understand the difficulties and problems in marketing produce and goods. The port charges in New Zealand he thought rather high. “Sometimes the port charges are much higher than the freight charges we obtain, and on top of that we have the cost of discharging and loading,” he said. “My company would like to see port charges reduced to the amount of freight charges, if we do not obtain very much cargo in a port. If, however, we obtain so much cargo that the freight charges are higher than the port charges, then standard rates could be charged.” He instanced the loading of guano at Noumea or Walpole Island for New Zealand importers to show the disadvantage of high port charges. Tnese cargoes were usually required at Wanganui and New Plymouth, but the port charges there made it unpt oiitable to sail direct, unless sufficient inducement for loading could be obtained-