OVERSEAS SHIPS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23767, 21 September 1940, Page 15

OVERSEAS SHIPS

FEWER POETS OF CALL NEEDS OF COASTAL TRADE WELLINGTON DISCUSSION [BY TELEGRAPH OWN CORRESPONDENT] WELLINGTON, Friday The view that overseas ships should as far as possible call at main ports and reduce their visits to the smaller ports, to increase efficiency and reduce freights, was expressed at a meeting of tlie Wellington Chamber of Commerce. It was pointed out that this would entail an increased coastal trade and moro coastal. vessels.. A letter was received from the Auckland Chamber of Commerce saying that under war conditions, with heavy losses of British ships, it seemed essential that calls of overseas ships at minor ports should be reduced to a minimum. Jt was understood that some such reduction had already been effected, but the_ process could not go much further without an increase in the number of A'essels with refrigerated cargo space in the New Zealand coastal trade.

The president of tho chamber, Mr. R. H. Nimmo, said that any suggestion that overseas shipping should be concentrated in the main ports was likely to meet with a storm of complaint from the small ports. It was agreed, however, .that, considering the equipment at tlnj main ports and the allowances that had to be made for working the small ports with less equipment, and tho necessity of standing off and on in heav£ weather, freight rates were higher than if traffic were centred in the main ports. This would mean an increase in the coastal traffic and more ships engaging in it. , Mr. M. G. C. McCaul said that although inward cargoes were usually unloaded at main ports, the loading of outward cargoes of meat had always been rather a merry-go-round. Freezing companies expected a sort of tramway service. Frankly, he thought the existing system uneconomic. It had always been his opinion that New Zealand was ideally suited to tho activities of a mosquito fleet in the coastal trade. It was decided to inform the Overseas Allotment Committee of the views of the bhamber.