ISLAND TRADE SUBSIDY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14359, 31 October 1908, Page 6

ISLAND TRADE SUBSIDY.

THE AUCKLAND PROTEST. (Per United Pregs Association.) AUCKLAND; October 29. The secretary of the Auckland Cham« ber of Commerce has addressed a letter to Sir Joseph Ward on the subject of the Wellington-Tahiti mail eervice. He saye that as Auckland is the natural port for Rarotonga and Tahiti, the action of the Government- is subversive of all true commercial principles, and ought not to have been entered into. The Island trado has been gradually built up over many years bv this city at great sarcmce and. serious c«t> and whilst this chamber can have no objection to Wellington establishing a line of direct steamers, of i.» own. the serious point is that this line of steamers should be subsidised by_the Government to the detriment and injury of Auckland, the only natural port tor -both the Cook and Society Islands, owing to its geographical position, -t- has been stated by the Government that i-w arrangement entered into is only experimental, and will be tried for 12 months but hfl points out that "as a fundamonval principle of commerce has been broken by the Government by subsidising this line of steamers, to continue tha experiment for 12 months is only to aggravate the situation and perpetuate the great wrong that is being clone to merchants in this city and Island produce traders, as n. whole."' Concluding, he hopes tk.-.1. tho Government subsidy so unfairly ;nccred into will cease at the earliest possible ■ date.