MR. MASSEY'S ATTITUDE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17828, 8 July 1921, Page 7

MR. MASSEY'S ATTITUDE.

PROBLEMS OF THE PRESENT SHIPPING ASPECT EMPHASISED FASTER MAIL SERVICE URGED By Tolesraisli —Press Association —Copyright. (Received 11.30 pan.) A. and N-Z. LONDON. J-aly 5Mr. W. F. Massey, speaking at the conference of Prime Ministers on the subject of Imperial communications, emphasised the paucity of news of the Dominion? in the British press, which was inadequate to the purpose of educating the pep! ■ of Britain on overseas matters. He expressed the opinion that it would be impracticable to conduct Imperial discussions with th<s Dominions or among the Dominions themselves by wireless telegraphy or telephony because of the lack of secrecy and the impossibility of satisfactorily conducting discussions in code. Improvements in communications for a considerable time to come must be made upon the basis of steamships, railway trains, and cables. It was impracticable, at present at all events, to think of rapid communications with Australia and Nov ; Zealand by aeroplane in all seasons and weathers. When it was summer in the Northern Hemisphere it was winter in the South. Mr. Massey urged the necessity for ships with a minimum speed capacity of 16 | knots to carry mails and passengers between New Zealand and Britain, vsa the Panama Canal. Steamers of this speed would accomplish the journey under 50 days. Even if this arrangement required a subsidy it ought to be carried out. The j mail services were very bad, and had not j improved since the war. He had expectcd I better results from the Imperial Shipping I Committee. Referring to the shipping freights, Mr. ; Massey said that they were now so high that with the lower prices ruling in some instances producers in New Zealand were receiving practically no profits. He instanced the recent case of a shipper of beef to London who suffered a loss of a halfpenny a pound after paying freights and expenses. It would be impossible to keep up the beef trade with Britain unless freights were reduced. Improved communications, whether by post, wireless, cable, or steamer, which would help to strengthen the bonds of tho Empire were worthy of every possible encouragement. He saw no objection to setting up a. committee of representatives of the Empire to inquire into communications, but unless something more was attempted than had been done in Che past it was not worth the trouble.