SHIPPING NEEDS

Northern Advocate, 7 February 1934, Page 8

SHIPPING NEEDS

DEFINITE BRITISH POLICY‘I T 1 -\L 11)1 TY COMPLEX” OBTA 1 NS. (Per Press Association —CoDytieht.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The Hon. Alexander Shaw, chairman of the P, and 0. Company, arrived by the Monowai yesterday on a holiday visit to New Zealand, in an interview, he urged the need for a definite British slapping- policy. This would 1)0 the only way of preventing the process of decay which had set in so far as the British mercantile marine was concerned.

-Mr Shaw sard the shipping which carried the commerce was as necessary as the commerce itself, and in that sphere they wore entirely without defence against economic aggression, “We arc not even a power to bargain,” lie said. “We have nothing to bargain with, and, as a consequence; we have seen the decline of the British mercantile marine from 43 percent of the world’s tonnage before the War to 29 per cent today. That process is still continuing. Before Britain took power to negotiate by tariffs, there -was a large body of people with cold foot, who held that it would be unwise for ns to defend ourselves for ■ fear that we might -offend some foreign country. ‘

“I find in certain quarters at Home the same timidity complex today. It leads to inaction in regard to foreign naval ambitions, as a sort of peace offering. Certain of: these countries have said quite definitely that the foundation of a strong navy is a strong mercantile marine, and, although the economic position does not make a huge mercantile marine necessary, they have built up that navy. “What we want is an Imperial shipping policy. If we had had that, the present disastrous position could never have arisen. If wo go on without an Imperial shipping policy there is nothing whatever to prevent the process of decay continuing until it is too late to repair it. ”