NEW ZEALAND'S MERCHANT NAVY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21248, 30 July 1932, Page 12

NEW ZEALAND'S MERCHANT NAVY

Sir, —I would like to express my accord with tho sentiments so ably expressed concerning foreign shipping by Mr. Perry, the retiring president of the Wellington branch of the Navy League. As a member of the Officers' Merchant Navy Federation, you will probably be interested in what our body—which represents nearly 13,000 British masters and officers—think about it. We welcome competition in shipping between nationals —if it is fair competition—for we realise it is for the benefit of our cloth and the general public. But we feel very deeply and resent the present unfair competition we are experiencing, and the attitude of most of the travelling public toward it. There is no need to go into minute details, for most people are now aware that the American passenger and cargo liners, which are competing with us on tho transpacific and transtasman trades, have been built with the aid of, and aro heavily subsidised each voyage by, tho American Government. Furthermore, although wo allow them open unfair competition in tho intercolonial trades, open and fair competition is denied us in American trades. It has also been o great surprise to us on scanning passenger lists to observe the large numbers of local passengers travelling on foreign steamers. Many of them are financially interested! at the present time in tho campaign for buying New Zealand, Australian and British-made goods. Unfortunately, their national sentiments seem to leave them when their, personal travel and carriage of goods is under consideration. If they would onlygive this patter a few minutes' thought, 1 am sure they would act otherwise. It is a dire necessity that British subjects should sail under tho British flag in these waters at the present time. We, as a body of merchant navy masters and officers, welcome fair competition at all times. We have no objection to an ' American company oporating a fleet of ships in these waters,' without American State subsidies and on the same "open water" policy as our own. Under these conditions we have no doubt as to what ships the public would "travel on, for we feel suto that our traditionally high service would then ho even more fully appreciated. But at present the odds are decidedly against us, notwithstanding the general depression and unemployment in our ranks. Charles Strong.