SHIPPING AND MEAT MONOPOLIES.

NZ Truth, Issue 65, 15 September 1906, Page 1

SHIPPING AND MEAT MONOPOLIES.

Predatory shipping and meat tbonopoliep are evidently strengthening their hold on bur oversea commerce. Indeed, trust tactics are so palpablyand persistently present therein ; that ; restrictive legislation .is imperative. The public must . be protected; Mono-* poly manipijlates rates and battens, vampire-like, upon consumers, exporters, importers and producers alike. Parliament must .. hestir, itself. A bloated ;|iondon trust, wijbh yast|aKen interests^ is pftrsiiKten^l^ peryei*tiiiis • natural ttade . c^ditiols.i, Titalt' is, fares, '•fr^ights ) .^T^ard' 1< and i^trwaird cargo, our prod^^ers--- a|l ; cd. In other wpr^s>; it tibie ; law ]s£: Slip-, ply and demand vis, defied, so, itKat ..\ selfish few may .bleed, majiy^^Anj' anti-trust,. >bill^^ s^houldvfojrthwith,*e lin^ troduced4 ; |J^ew Zealandy the hpme^ :i bf ? ■- .advancedy.^emocratic. lepibitioh^muis-t make.. a-U trusts iUegall.^ A, '^liipping^ and mekt monopoly, Xi;'.undpubtedry' exists. Searching scrutiny <$. .pis steamship;' sub^ventiioh^v.j.C'grißited.' through tlje Depaftanent;}Qf Industries

and Cojft^etce-.yill.'.delSfitely.^deter- 1 ;mine itv>?jjn fact^ . an e^>a«stiyerexa- • urination tot all recent mail aiid ,c^r;jgo 'subsidies must demonstrate that A. Liindo^, slripowners/ ; ., t £'ring M has long taken, tall. of trader-traffic and the Treasury, In fact, p\s trUcUlent trust, pres;Ujnably profiting by atpiundered pubiig's pafeivene^*- so elfectu.ally exprbi% ',, the people #ljhat freeing them frbmviis thrall is Parlia,tdent's

paramount , $jty. (|oyernni,ent, 5-howevety "»Is ;- (3trahgely, ' ; raacJtSv#.' ; If Ministers Were financially' iivterested m trust transactions, their apathy would be understaavdaljle. Of course, they are not. Neither can afien combines command Cabinet consideration before the public. But the Government must rpuse itself, nevertheless,

as ugly rumors are about, and conti-

nued Ministerial inactioiv; regarding what is publicly palpable, will lend versimilitude to canards concerning contracts (Joncluded with a-. combine conspicuously lucky m securing steamstiip service subventions^ A situation surcharged witti suspicion has been created. Therefore, to allay public anxiety, the House of Representatives should seek early en-

Mghtenment'fregarding the West*.' Coast U.K. subsidised service (|ia -^r-gen-;tina) controlled by^-the LondoajSjhp.pi ng and <in{3at iii^nopoy§|s )t|eni^ ' the Federal steamship lWes. -The JPrei^ier sttpuld explain why "lihis c6ntra£t><l Vas.'.'con-f eluded during a political interregnum. Apparently, 'the pepartmeht of In-, dustries and Commerce engineered-

the business behind Parliament. This

smacks of bureaucracy, ami will not do. Neither Ministers, , ; n<?r civil serVants, much less a capitalist monopo-;

ly, must thus flout the legislature, public urgency was nbii-£XJK3tent and haste unnecessary. West Coast U.K.

ports had long been tapped via the Gape, so the Government's, steajijhiJy subsidising a service, via Arg'en-.ti-na, requires exhaustive examination. .Anyhow, the Federal Steam Navigation Co. 's contract is a peculiar departmental happening. Why was Par-

i] iaib en t ignored and the, country com--raiueri to a costly contract jiis|. as ■the Jiioftopolis^ lost, a haiidJsomejVaami.af siteidy (£30,000) fo^ihe tfede•ral~froulder ctfliducted Capfe service ? On^Hhis, tbej: whole thing evidently liiij^K. In tfaetv th6Vl),epir%ient of! jnfliislries . :,a^(l; Coiwmercfr seemingly exi'^is for -t'lv^speclaF benefit' of L6nlioi^shippingl^tid meat magnates. At htii '.TA-ie, s^ei'thc plums .plucked by -.tlie 1; : l<'etlcra) : - HaiiMe'r-Shire-Bucknall , convf mc : Highly profitable Boer war trooping eonifact&v atid: tlje South AfribnV We^iCoast U.K ; . and Canailian (Alfey Line)' steamship service subventions. Not a-' bad' -list; this. It rtofis 'not exhaust the good things, liovrever. For instance, a private .cable received m Sydney states that Idie Houlder liner Rippingham Grange had sailed from Middlesbormigh (for lluiicdin direct) with a full cargo of r»ovprjimc!it rajlway iron for the New Zealand Government. Of course, uu - ;- iev the surrepMtiously engineered West Coaj;t U.K. subsidised service (via Argentina), Government cargo is possibly eannaxked to F-H-S steamj>i<\ It was, win"- that combination's boats y;ra fcui tc.-v!- extended from. 'the (.'ape to Liverpi. 1 --- 1 . etc. In fact, this outwo-rd Qovfennjicnfc cargo formed the quid pro tiuo for. the Federal-Moulder-Sliire iiines' unsubsidised West U.K. extension. Logically, therefore, now that trust's tramps tap our Treasury for services hlther*r, freely performed, they should not monopolise the sea-carriage of Government good;; imported from the U.K. or U.S.A. Americafr-Australa-

sian- cargo is regularly transliipped at Liverpool, London, etc., consequently at least a portion ol our Government's U.S.A. importations drops into', the F-H-S-B Lines' monopolistic maw. That is, df, under the Federal Company's West Coast • U.K . contract, State cargo is actually earmarked to that combine's steamers. In any case, "Hie whole matter invites inquiry, and perhaps some member of the House will take action and jcompel _the Government to publish; the 'full |erins and conditions of the subrsiddsed- steamship service subterrane,qusly engineered during the recent poifitical^tus." Parliament and public ;have ibeen jujggfed wrth, and such leg;islatiye -legerdemain must .be brought fhonje'to. the responsible -political pre•stMigiiateur.; .

'■■'„ ■'" ■'„'-.' *••■'. * •■ • • i :■:. The ' ; "trust's -trail .is over everything. .Lately, its 'steamers have here dumpsed hundreds 1 (of unfortunai? immigrants, lured to New Zeal^d under -.the Government State-aided scheme Mr Hall- Jones rightly, terminated. In fact, ending that iniquitous immigration project was the legislative •triumph of his brief Premiership. Ap:parently, nobody outside the F-H-S-B combine benefits by dumping these helpless folk here. Consequently , the matter demands scrutiny. Under vwiat conditions did Federal-Houlder-SMre liners convey these unfortunate ?iihmi^Eaats ??, Did -our generous" Government contract with this London '"ring" for these poor people's pass--ages ? Parliament should insist upon ♦knowing. The Oswestry Grange, Morayshire and Ayrshire all brought immigrants— the latter about 200. Evidently steerage passenger convey•ance is a specialty of F-H-S liners. Therefore, allowing for the State's j&id, the combine probably profits handsomely from the stranded immigrants, many of whom immediately became a dkect charge upon the The public is long suffering, but this is too bad, and the : Government's immigration scheme, no matter who authorised it, should be rigidly reviewed from its inception. It is brutally, callous cruelty to bring out people just able topay their passages. Indeed, Federal-Houlder-Shire liners i should be compelled to take back every destitute immigrant land.cd.'.',' The^ GoverDment, however, appatently, shirks, .this responsibility. Therefore, a truculent trust Is apparently able to defy pauper-immigrant re'gulatipns recognised m most civilised countries. If so, it is high time to -unmask.' our Government's extraordinary partiality for a colossal .combination waxing fat and insolent on public exploitations probably engiiieerefi through its 'freight committee m . Sydney. The immigration fiasco is a travesty upon our . prosperity and civilization. Let,! combines huckster m meat and freight if they list. Trading m flesh and blood, however, is ah infamy, ■ and Parliament must seek information regarding a scheme evidently an outcome of the West Coast U.K. contract clandestinely concluded with the, Federal-Houlder-Shire-Bucknall combination, . just after Sir X G. Ward journeyed to Rome.

■ The Government diplomatically and discreetly declined the tenders received for a South African steamship service, via Australia. Is . this a triumph for the trenchant criticism evoked. hy the evils attendant upon tho recent Federal-Houlder South African service, via one Australian port besides Fremaritle ? It seems so. In any case, just before Parliament reassembled, the Ministry, oddly enough, backed down on resuscitating Cape export by subsidised bottoms likely to be crammed with competing uargp from Australia. This is significant. But' what mail subvention will Tysers receive for their unsubsidised So.uth African cargo service? It -is important to know, as how can ! that line profitably conduct such service? the late South African service contractors (Federal-Houlder lines) received an enormous subsidy .(£60,000), and allegedly lost money. 'This .provides food for thought. Trust tactics are probably talking again. Certainly, it is reported Tysers have now an Australasian working agreement with the Federal-Hbul-der-Shire-Bucknall combine. Thin seems probable. At least, Tyser liners load m. Queensland, heitherto the stronghold of the F-H-S-B shippins and meat monopoly, which, aided by the Australian mail lines (particular-; lv. the Orient):,, ousted George TLomp*

son and Co. 's Aberdeen White Star steamers from Brisbane. Yes, . ( ; the truculent F-H-S-B trust was power-, ful enough m Queensland to compel Thompson's to "pool" butter; freights^ and. promise not to carry any 'frozen' meat to London ■! However, to hark back to the Tyser line. What is its precise position m the South. African, trade ? Let the Opposition ascertain what mail subsidy it receives. Of course, no mall subsidy should '"be paid Tyser's Cape steamers. Theyl moon about Australian ports indent nitely, and are not mailboats fay ans>. means. Our African mails can re~< ceive quicker transit by intercolonial" 1 , boats connecting wtth Australian liners leaving on dates scheduled six i ahead. However, without a; mail subsidy, the proDlem' is : How? ,can the Tyser line make its African service pay, seeing Federal-Houlder contract boats could not, despite, enormous State-aid (£90,000) Why, only last year, Sir J. G-. Ward.assur- ; ed the House of Representatives that; the latter lost by their Cape con-: This was not a fact, however. Indeed, to prevent the former contractors' alleged loss; being made a stalMng ; horse for substantially State-aiding, (:by mail subsidy or cargo subvention) •the present Tyser service, Parliament must study the conditions under which the Federal-Houlder liners al- '' legedly lost money. ' On leaving Australia, their steameis were full [ships. In fact, they were crammed [with cargo. Not necessarily South African. Nothing, came amiss to the Feder.al-Houlder steamers. They were known to take fruit (deck cargo) from Hobart to Fremantle— of course, to the detriment of inter-State traders. In any case, when African contract, boats cleared Fremantle, they were down to their marks, thanks to .some New Zealand cargo, but more Australian produce for the Cape and ' U.K . Our competitor's cargo went at cheaper rates. , This was the Fed-eral-Houlder-Shire combine's playful little way, winked at by our Government, tinder the circumstances,- how could , the contractors' (Fedeial-Houl-der lines) sus|aiii. loss ? ..African contract'steamers' profits were based oh their inward and outward earnings. •That is, the round voyage, whatever it was. Consequently, if the Federal- , Houlder-Shire lines stated their New Zealand freight, passage and subsidy earnings entailed loss, Sir J. Gr. Ward was misled. Did each individual South African contract boat's round voyage show a profit or not ? .A Royal Commission can determine this, "by demanding the production of '-sworn statements of the gross earnings and nett profits on "the inward i and outward voyages of every subsi- ! jdised Federal-Houlder-Shire steamer employed m the Cape trade, under the New Zealand and African ComIpany's flag. This data is filed m the j Federal-Houlder-Shire-Bucknall comj bine's Australasian freight committee iroom (Sydney), and the figures prp- } curable will probably show that our ! [taxpayers were mulct £100,000, so I that a London shipping and meat 'monopoly might "regulate" (that's ['the trust term, but "kill" sounds | better) New Zealand's African trade jwith ample Argentine and Australian products at its command. Exporters and producers of New Zealand, does not this indictment of the Federal-j,Houlder-Shire combination demand [your attention ? Remember, that shipping and meat monopoly may similarly manipulate your West Coast U.K. and London markets. Therefore, ascertaining just what governmental or departmental "pull" the Federal - Houlder .- Shire - Bucknall "pool" possesses is a public duty.

There is yet more to tell. The Canadian service (Alley Line) presents some problems also. The Dominion's •demand for meat and butter is considerable. Why, then, is New Zealand's subsidised service conducted by v the . uninsulated Buck-nail tramps Bucentaur and Pondo '! Is this the handiwork of the meat monopolists (with vast Argentine and Australian interests) 'behind, the F-H-S-B combine? However, as Canada and New Zealaod each pay £10,000 annually to the Alley Line, let Parliament protest against the non-provision of refrigerated space, and ascertain why the contract conditions did not stipulate for that desideratum, so freely availed of by. Australian exporters utilising the Sydney-Brisbane- Vancouver mail line. Will the Department of Industries and Commerce please explain ?