The Northern Advocate Daily SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1936. “STEAM UP IN THE PACIFIC”

Northern Advocate, 24 October 1936, Page 4

The Northern Advocate Daily

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1936. “STEAM UP IN THE PACIFIC”

Registered for transmission through the post as a Newspaper.

it is long since a campaign was started to secure protection ot British shipping against the competition of v subsidised foreign shipping in the Pacific. Though some other nationalities were no doubt included, .the appeals for protection mainly concerned American shipping, which, for many years, lias been seriously competing with ships owned by .British and New Zealand companies. Not only . have American ships been able, because of State subsidies, to capture the passenger trade between ! America and New Zealand and between New Zealand and Australia, but British ships are prohibited from trading on the American coast. Obviously, this is not a fair deal. The problem of countering the foreign shipping policy Without at the same time damaging the interests of New Zealand, has occupied the attention of various Governments of this country, but it has remained for the Labour Government to come to grips with it. This it has done, by introducing a Protection of . British Shipping Bill. This is a retaliatory measure, in that it proposes to prohibit the carrying of passengers or cargo between New Zealand and Australian ports by the shipping of countries which subsidise the building or running of ships carrying their flags, or which prevent British ships from trading on their coasts. The introduction of this Bill on Thursday came as a surprise, but.. the Government must be given credit for having done what others have only threatened to do for a long time. Whether the Government will prove to have been wise in once again adopting the role pf David will depend upon the elf ect it makes upon .Goliath. At the moment there is division of opinion on the subject. Some New Zealand metropolitan papers are very nervy about the reactions to the Government ’s policy, but the Government must be deriving peculiar satisfaction from the fact that the leading representatives of the Conservative and financial press in London, as well as the chairman of directors of the P. and O. Company, have applauded its action. The “Morning Post” regards the legislation as merely applying a method of protection which the United States has Ipng used, and says America is, being given an opportunity to make suggestions before the legislation does operate. “Perhaps,” adds the “Morning Post,” “the Dominion’s sighting shot will* hit the mark.” We shall see. It must be realised that the whole question of competition by subsidised shipping has undergone a change during recent years, and Britain, by the State subsidy which it granted in order to make possible the building of the Queen Mary, has brought herself nearer to alignment with United States policy.' It is therefore interesting to note that, while the New Zealand Minister of Marine told the House of Representatives that Britain has no objection to the Dominion’s proposed legislation, the report of the Imperial Shipping Committee, which was set up by the British Government, and which will undoubtedly influence the Government in its adoption of shipping policy, does not raise the i question of a corrective policy.! The report of the committee says j this is a matter for the Governments concerned. The Australian Associated Press says that the committee has not discussed, far less recommended, restrictions to protect British shipping in the Pacific. Why; then, in that case, has the New Zealand Government taken the extreme step of prohibiting American ships, to mention only one line, from carrying passengers or cargo between Australia and the Dominion? Perhaps the “Morning Post” is right in regarding the Government’s action as merely a sighting shot, fired on behalf of the Empire. In any case, whatever the ultimate j result of the Government’s pro- j posed legislation may he, the j “Daily Mail.” is quite right when, i it says that “steam is up in the j Pacific.”