NAVIGATION LAWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13702, 19 March 1908, Page 4

NAVIGATION LAWS.

The despatch from the Colonial Office, dealing with the Australian Navigation Bill, presents the case for the British Board of Trade with a fairness which must have weight with the Federal Parliament. The particular point which was strenuously pressed by the colonial representatives at the . Imperial Shipping Conference, held simultaneously with the last gathering of the Premiers' Conference, was that the self-governing Dominions of the Crown had a clear right to regulate all vessels, wherever registered, engaged in their respective coastal trades. As we urged at the time, this assertion of colonial authority over coastal trading is absolutely inseparable from the unquestioned right of self-governing British States to regulate the manning, equipment, and provisioning of locally-registered snipping; otherwise unregistered vessels could compete most destructively with locallyowned and registered vessels, and could thus practically destroy this most important and desirable colonial industry. Our shipowners and our seamen are equally interested in the maintenance of this general right of our Governments to regulate all vessels engaging in their respective colonial coastal trades, without which general right our maritime development would gradually be throttled and our flourishing mercantile marine would ultimately be destroyed. There will therefore be very great and widespread satisfaction at the frank placing on record by the Imperial 'Government, in this despatch, of its recognition "that every Dominion haa full power to regulate not only vessels registered in that possession but also vessels engaged in the coasting trade." There being no dispute whatever on this fundamental question it should not be difficult for the Australian Government and. Parliament to come to an equitable understanding upon incidental issues and to recognise that it has no authority, and should have no desire, to control Imperial or foreign shipping upon the high seas and while engaged in the international trade. Australians may have their own opinion upon the manning and equipment of vessels 'entering Federal ports from abroad and may disapprove strongly of many conditions prevailing in British-registered ships. But as long as these vessels do not enter the coastal trade without complying with colonial regulations, and do not interfere unduly with colonial conditions while lying at colonial wharves or in colonial harbours, there is no good reason why they should not come and go as they please. British-registered vessels in the trans-oceanic trade, wherever they may be, are controlled by Board of Trade regulations and by Imperial navigation law. This has been distinctly and definitely waived in favour of colonial regulations whenever they come under the admitted jurisdiction of colonial authority. It is for the Imperial Parliament, reflecting British public opinion, to make any modification of Imperial statute and custom which may be desirable and advisable outside of unquestionable colonial jurisdiction. The Commonwealth Parliament should be easily able to recognise this and to courteously waive any debatable, assertions of authority referred to, and reasonably objected to, in the Board of Trade memorandum which .accompanies the Colonial Office despatch just tabled in the Federal Senate If the Australians exhibit the same conciliatory spirit which is being displayed by the Imperial authorities, there should soon be a satisfactory completion of the much-dis-cussed Federal Navigation Bill.,