SHIPPING LEGISLATION.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 193, 2 August 1911, Page 11

SHIPPING LEGISLATION.

WITHIN THE EMPIRE

DISCUSSION' AT THE CONFERENCE. London, June 21. Last night the Colonial Office issued an official report of Monday afternoon’s sitting, of which the following is an abstract: — The Conference resumed the consideration of the following resolution : That the slf-governing Dominions have now reached a stage of development when they should be entrusted with wider legislative powers in respect to British

and foreign shipping. Mr. Buxton said the resolution was too wide and vague for the Imperial Government to propose legislation founded upon it. The present principle of merchant shipping legislation was fairly plain and simple. Broadly speaking, the code of law that ruled a ship was the code of the country of registration, and that code followed the ship round the world. The rule was modified by the power of the self-governing Dominions to regu-

late their own coasting trade, and by the territorial limitations of their jurisdiction. If what New Zealand now desired was power to regulate round voyages beginning and ending in the Dominion, or that the Dominions should be empowered to pass reciprocal legislation. providing that the labour legislation of each Dominion should apply to their own registered vessels while in the territorial waters of the other Dominions which were parties to the agreement, the Home Government would not stand in the way; but if. as he uu-

derstood from Sir Joseph AY ard s explanation, the proposal was to go considerably further, great caution was necessary. The question from the New Zealand point of view was one largely of economics, and, so far as it concerned rates of wages, conditions of labour, and matters of that sort, he had personally considerable sympathy with it. But the terms of the proposal were very wide, and might involve very serious results. It should be borne in mind that the greater proportion of British and foreign commerce is conducted, not by the liners regularly trading between given ports, but by the tramp steamers trading now to one part of the world and now to another, according to the state of the freight market. The question would also have to be considered from the point of view of the competition of foreign shipping. Dominion conditions could not be so effectively enforced on shipping as on British, with the result that the proposed powers would discriminate to the disadvantage of British ships. Moreover, it was not possible effectively to impose on foreign ships regulations affecting their domestic economy. If an at-

tempt were made to impose conditions and restrictions on foreign ships and that attempt failed, a preference would be given to foreign shipping. If the attempt succeeded, retaliation would ensue, the whole force and brunt of which would fall on the United Kingdom shipping. He reminded the Conference that the whole question had been carefully considered by the subsidiary Conference which met in 1907,' which arrived unanimously at a series of resolutions from the principles of which no serious departure should be made without the most careful inquiry. He re gretted that his Majesty's Govern ment could not adopt the resolution as it stood, and it was difficult to amend it in an acceptable manner. In the. circumstances he hoped that Sir Joseph Ward would not press it.

Sir Joseph Ward said he was absolutely certain tnat something in the nature of his proposal was necessary to enable New Zealand to give effect to the labour conditions which the people there required. The resolution was intended to give the Dominions wider legislative powers than were contained in the Imperial Merchant Shipping Act, as without such extended powers thej' were unable to meet the position which recently had arisen. There was no racial side to the question : it was purely from the economic standpoint that these powers were required.

Sir Wilfrid Laurier said that the discussion had emphasised the position which the Government of Canada had taken up, namely,

that they already had power to legislate on shipping. It was desirable that the position should be made perfectly clear, so that they might know exactly where they were.

Mr. Harcourt said that the British Government would abstain from voting on the resolution. General Botha considered that the Union already had the power asked for.

Mr. Fisher, for Australia, said if they supported the resolution they must not be taken as admitting that their powers were in any way limited. They were satisfied with the powers which they contended they possessed. The resolution was then put to the Conference, and supported by Canada and New Zealand, but Great Britain, Australia, South Africa, and Newfoundland abstained from voting. SUEZ CANAL CHARGES. Mr. Fisher, in moving a resolution inviting the Home Government to continue to use their infli

i ence for obtaining a substantial ! reduction of Suez Canal charges I on shipping, said, though a reduc- ‘ tion had been made in recent years ! the rate was still about 6/- per ton. ' Unless the charges were lowered it ; might be the duty of the. Common--1 wealth Government to ascertain { whether they could not find relief ; in some other direction.

j Mr. McKinnon Wood expressed j the British Government’s entire I sympathy with this point- of view. ; They had always regarded the j shipping interests in this connec- ; tion as more important than their ; interests as shareholders The i British Government had only ’ about one-tenth of the represenra- ‘ tion, but would continue to exerjcise their influence in the direction desired.

Sir Joseph Ward said New Zealand’s views coincided with those of Australia.