Direct Shipping to Australia

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 55, 6 March 1937, Page 5

Direct Shipping to Australia

Desire of Southland DEPUTATION TO MINISTER. Per Press Association. INVERCARGILL, Last Night. A request that the Government should do all in its power to institute a direct shipping service between South Island ports and Australia, was made to the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Hon. D. G. Sullivan) by a deputation at Bluff this morning. Colonel J. Ilargest, M.P., in introducing the subject, said he had seen the possibilities of a direct service between Bluff and Tasmania and Melbourne. The lack of such service was a serious handicap to Southland, he said, and he instanced the case of South Australian fruitgrowers who were willing to take Southland timber if it could be imported direct.

“As a representative of Bluff HarBour Board, I firmly believe the service should be a continuous one/* said Hon. T. F. Doyle. The Marama, he added, was an old vessel with accommodation not perhaps of the best and the Government and Union Company might be able to do something in the way of putting a modern vessel on the service. It had been woll patronised in the past both from a passenger and a cargo point of view but Southland was at a serious disadvantage through lack of continuity in the service.

“I find myself substantially in sympathy with tho request and understand the difficulties afflicting the South I*land through the lack of a direct shipping service,** said Hon. Sullivan. If was not only the service but there were other difficulties too. The Island was outside the circle of international communication and this must contribute largely to retarding its development. He would like to see this rectified. Of course, there were practical difficulties from the viewpoint of the shipping companies regarding the value of the trade they were already doing and the companies said the service was uneconomical but he had not had the opportunity of studying the figures they had supplied to see whether they could b« substantiated.

‘ ‘I appreciate the position and I hav« been interested in it for many years,** said the Minister.*' Now I have th« figures I will ask my department to in vestigate them thoroughly and report on the effect a contiuous service would have on trade. The Government hesitates to burden itself with subsidies foi you never know where they will end.**