THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, MAY 1,1923. AMERICAN SHIPPING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18850, 1 May 1923, Page 6

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, MAY 1,1923. AMERICAN SHIPPING.

The conference, of whidh we heard recently, between President Harding and the United States Board could hardly have been otherwise than a gloomy affair. The American Governy ment has had an intimate experience of the mercantile marine which should satisfy it for a long time to come. It will remain in the shipping business, it is announced, until it cap sell out without what is described as an “unjustifiable loss.” It is admitted that, through the non-enactment of the Ship Subsidy Bill, the Shipping Board, with its vast possessions in vessels for which there is no great demand, is confronted with the prospect of heavy losses. The board proposes to do something to consolidate foreign trade lines which are at •present being conducted for it by proxy, and then to offer the ships for sale on suitable guarantees of maintained service. If the market is particularly unhealthy the Government will proceed, so it is said, to direct shipping operations which will be “ aggressively pursued.” But it will be freely suggested that if ever it reaches the stage of direct operation it will have more cause than ever to regret its intervention in the shipping business. To this ‘has come all the grandiloquent talk respecting the duty of America to seize her opportunity and create for herself a mercantile marine second to that of no other nation upon the earth. The fulfilment of a nation’s destiny runs often along lines which it is not given to its statesmen to anticipate. It is evident that the Ship Subsidy Bill, which was "talked out” by its opponents in the Senate at the close of the session in February, is to bo relegated to the limbo of things forgotten. -The oecasion well illustrated the helplessness of the Administration in the face of an ocean of words. .. It also illustrated how public money is wasted. 'For example, Senator Sheppard, of Texas, was congratulated by his associates upon his “great endurance and splendid service” in contributing a speech lasting ten hours and twenty-five minutes, and costing £3OO to print in the Congressional proceedings, in the course of which he spoko over 60,000 words, dealt with any topic that occurred to him, including anecdotes about the King of the Hedjaz, and read the regulations governing the League of Nations. Yet he fell far short of the Senate record for a continuous speech! At the general meeting of the Chamber of Shipping of the United Kingdom the President (Sir Ernest Glpver) observed that if the American Ship Subsidy Bill had been passed it must have had the effect of increasing prices in the United States for all ®mports, while the American exporter would have lost the benefit of the open freight market. The result, while clearly disadvantageous to other countries, might thus have proved to be of very doubtful advantage to America herself. Incidentally, Sir Ernest Glover took the opportunity of begging Australia to realise thaij in order to .extend her trade with the world she must remove difficulties of transport, not increase them. The report of, the Chamber of Shipping contains .some interesting references to the relation of the State to industry. Experience, has proved, it is assorted, that if the policy of nationalisation had been carried out at the conclusion of the war, shipping, managed less efficiently by the State than under conditions of private enterprise, would have become a mill-

stone round the neck of the Government of the day, involving it in additional financial embarrassments. Only by close organisation, strict economy, and the free piny of individual initiative, the committee of the Chamber says, has the British shipping industry been saved from shipwreck during the months when, cargoes were very scarce and freights continued to fajj. In discussing the deferred rebate system, the committee observes: “It, is the opinion of shipowners, intensified by the happenings of the last few years, that any interference by Government with the working of their trade (or indeed any trade) is markedly detrimental —at best an evil only to bo countenanced when all other means have been tried and proved wanting—and that freedom of contract is the first public necessity.” Such a reflection will hardly be palatable to the admirers of nationalisation of industry. The report points out that, at the beginning of 1922, British shipping was still in the trough of the worst period of depression of modern times, and it is claimed that the fact that the industry has succeeded in large measure in surmounting the manifold difficulties confronting it may be attributed to the sound organisations ashore, with deeply rooted traditions, and to. the conservative financial policy which British shipowners have steadily pursued, realising the wide fluctuations of the freight market thtft periodically occur.

THE DUNEDIN CLIMATE. It may perhaps be considered the subject of the meteorological conditions of Dunedin is just now a sore point, better left untouched. Visitors from a distance who happened to be in the city or suburbs 'on last Sunday week, and who saw the stafe of the streets and other spaces on the following Monday and Tuesday, would take away' with them an impression of climatic unpleasantness not likely to be transient. Lasting im- ■ pressions of this kind sometimes originate in abnormal circumstances, by no means typically characteristic of the locality in which they occur. It may be remembered that in the early part of tho year 1890, when the New Zealand and South Seas. Exhibition was in progress in Dunedin, two special shipping excursions were arranged, one from Melbourne, the other from Sydney. While the Victorian visitors were with us the rain fell in torrents almost every day, and for years afterwards—so the legend runs—the topic of Dunedin weather could not be mentioned in Melbourne without provoking an outburst of unseemly objuration. The travellers from New South Wales had a directly opposite experience. During their stay the weather was as delightful as only Dunedin weather, at its best, can be,, and (again the legend!) there are elderly folk in Sydney who rave about it to this day. Disregarding as irrelevant the absurd eccentricity of last Sunday’s phenomenon (whicji, according to expert judgment, will ‘not occur again until after the twenty-first century has come of age), we have good reason to he satisfied with—nay, proud of—the meteorological status of this city. Statistics are chiels that winna ding, and the records of the Department of Meteorology for 1921 have just been published m blue-book form. During that year the total rainfall in Dunedin was 29.72 inches, as against 59.69 at Auckland, 42.86 at Wellington, 47.99 at Invercargill, 59.63 at Rotorua, and—l27.lß at Hokitika! Rain fell here on 165 days, as against 156 at Auckland and 157 at Wellington,—showing that our salubrious showers were distributed with a pleasant evenness. We had gales or high winds on only seven days, against 91 days at Wellington, 45 at Masterton, and 43 at Timaru, —comparisons worth were 26 “calm” days during the year, in Dunedin 57; and the Empire City claims the dubious distinction of the maximum velocity of wind recorded in any one day—6B7 miles, with Haumer (660 miles) a good second. Yet living in Wellington is quite tolerable ; so that we should be more than content in Dunedin, with its balmy breezes and virtual freedom from “ velocity.” Some of the statistics are incomplete, and Dunedin’s record of “ total bright sunshine” is not given, an annoying omission, as wo feel sure that the legal position in this respect would be honourable, though perhaps inferior to that of Nelson (“ long noted for its sunny climate”), which stands first among tho twenty-one stations where records were kept.

There has been an extraordinarily large demand for tilts week’s issue of the Otago Witness, published to-day. The management. informs ns that the office staff has been kept extremely busy ■■ registering the orders received from agents in both city and country, and that the mechanical staff of the Witness in its various departments has had moru than it can cope with at the short time at its disposal. The total number (hat is being printed is 37,000. It has been found impracticable to supply the agents with the full of their orders at once, but eadh will receive a, percentage of the number ordered, and the balance will bo delivered within the next two days.

The vital statistics in Dunedin district for the past month show 124 births, of) deaths, and 69 marriages. In April of last, year ilie figures were 126 births, 71 deaths, and 72 marriages. The not Customs duty taken hero diming the past month amounts "to £68,359 0s 7d, which represents a large increase on. „the £40,289 Os 9d taken, in April, 1922. The beer duty was £17,401 6s 9d, as compared with £12,837 4s Id in April, 1922. A Press Association message from Christchurch says that “To Koraha,” the wellknown Merivale residence of the late Mr A. E. G. Rhodes, was offered at auction yesterday afternoon and was passed in at £18,009, which the auctioneer announce,! was close to the owner's reserve. Press Association telegram from Wellington soya that a dispute has arisen between the growers of vegetables and the auctioneers in connection with alterations in the latter's charges, and the disposal of sacks and boxes. It. is stated that the auctioneers want to sell the containers with the produce, not allowing the growers any thing. The growers threatened to send in their produce loose, and the auctioneers decided td'increaso the commission on loose produce, from 10 to 12£ per cent. The producers are to meet to discuss the matte-, one suggestion being that, the markets should be boycotted.

It appears that a number of people have been making the mistake of confusing the inland and rates of postage on newspapers. The inland rate is id, but the overseas rate is Id. The chief feature of the 'recent invention by a young Austrian engineer for extracting electric' current from the air is a mast similar to those used for wireless, and the electric energy gained varies according to tho height of the mast, Tho inventor claims 40,000 volts at an altitude of 900 ft. Though tho invention is still in an early stage, the inventor has fitted several houses with his apparatus, supplying electric current for their lighting.

The canvass undertaken by the various ch Arches’ in the North-East Valley through their ministers in connection with “Children’s Year” was concluded on Saturday On Sunday evening special services were held in all the churches concerned, when addresses wore given on the topic, ‘ The Children for Christ.” During the canvass a special appeal has been made to secure the attendance of non-churchgoers and to bring in to the Sunday schools children who have not been, attending any such school.

The recount of the votes cast in the election for members of the City Council was completed at a late hour last evening. No alteration has been made in the order of candidates as . announced provisionally on election night, though there are slight alterations in all the figures. Or M'Manus, who, according to the provisional figures had a lead of only SO rotes over Mr P. L. Ritchie, has improved his position on the recount, and now has, a lead of 45 votes.

Tiro dtagp Co-operative Fruibgfbwers Association despatched from the Bluff by the Raranga SCO cases of apples, thus completing the shipment of over 6000' cases by that vessel.

A Press Association message from Dargaville j says: The official recount of the mayoral election at Dargaville gives Mr R. B. Hornblow a majority of only nine over his opponent, Mr A. J. Stallworthy. The amazing development in the use of the telephone by Americans is illustrated by a proposal by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company to increase its capitalisation from £159,090,000 , to £425,000,000, thus making it the, largest company in the United State? (says a recent number of the London Daily Mail). If the shareholders approve.the proposal, the company will bo capitalised at about £10,500,000 more than tho Steel Corporation, which hitherto has enjoyed the prestige of having the largest authorised capital stock in the country. In support of their proposal tho directors mention that last year more than 603,000 new stations were opened at a cost of more than £38,000,000. The company and . its subsidiaries now operate 14,050,565 telephones and more than 30,000,000 miles of wire. The average number of calls made daily is 38,000,000. ,

Since Thursday (says a Christchurch Press Association Sir Andrew Russell, dominion president of the Returned Soldiers’ Association, accompanied by Mr W. E. Londlev, secretary of the Christchurch * Returned Soldiers’ Association, visited betweeni-60 and 70 soldier settlers in different parts of South Canterbury with a view to ascertaining their requirements. “The spirit of the men generally.,’’ Mr Leadley said last night, “is the same spirit as they manifested on active- service. A lot of them are up against stiff hurdles—some are behind with their rent, and others are on too high a valuation. Thev are Hoping that the Land ' Revision Board, which is at present visiting them in South Canterbury, will recommend measures that will bring the men some relief, but we found them all still gabe.” A summary is to be prepared of the requirements of the soldier settlers, and a deputation, headed by Sir A.ndrew Russell, will wait on Cabinet some days prior to Sir Andrew’s departure for England, about the middle of the present month. A Press Association message from Wellington says that several meetings of householders last night decided to support a circular resolution regarding a protest against the Government limitation of subsidies on moneys raised by local effort, also to urge an the Government the need for raising £3,000,000 for rebuilding schools. The opinion was expressed by some that there should be a reversion to the old system of obtaining handwork supplies on a capitation basis, as opposed to the present method of obtaining them through the department. His Honor Sir Robert Stout has forwarded probate of the estates of tile following frorrT Wellington:—Robert Wright, John James Kennedy Johnston, Robert West M‘Do wall, Elizabeth Cuttle, Mary Featherstone, Frederick Cuming, Emma Woodward, James Coffey, Joseph Anderson Kernohan, and Duncan Nichol Knox Letters of administration have been granted in the estate of William Dickson. The criminal sittings of the Supremo Court will bo commenced on Tuesday next. It is not yet known who will be the- judge. The persons awaiting trial will bo charged as follows:—James Baxter Kerr, James Kerr„ and Donald H. Campbell, robbery with violence at Dunedin; Mary Jane. Clark and Edith Towler, procuring abortion (Dunedin); Hyman Isaacs, (1) procuring abortion, (2) conspiring to commit a crime (Dunedin); John Skinner, theft of cattle (Hampden); Ruth Kate Cranefleld, procuring abortion, two charges (Dunedin); Albert Edward Blundell, (1) bigamy, (2) false declaration (Dunedin); Richard Pickard Jones, indecent assault on a male (Dunedin). The following prisoners, who pleaded guilty to the lower court,'will come up for sentence; —Thomas Aaron Hughes, theft as a postal officer; Rita Margaret Sipith, arson; Leslie Henderson Crawford, indecent assault on a female.

Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., had u short; sitting- of the Magistrate's Court yesterday, when the adjourned case, Reilly’s Central Produce Mart v. John Neil Thomson, claim £6l, cost of ducks purchased was concluded. Mr Hay, who appeared for the plaintiff, said that Thomson had left Dunedin—he understood to visit Oaniaru. His Worship pave judgment for the full amount claimed, with costs (£4- 11s 6d). ()ur Wanganui correspondent wires that plans have been approved for the Wanganui Woollen Mills. Dio major portion of the plan will consist of 36 looms, eight spinning mules,' eight, carding machines, with the necessary auxiliary machinery and plant. * Shareholder.? in the Stirling Dairy Factory Co, at an enthusiastic meeting on (Saturday night, consented, with one dissentient, to the proposal of tho directors to increase the share capital from £SOOO to £IO,OOO, in order to extend' the buildings and generally to develop the business of the company, which within the past few years Has been growing very rapidly. The chairman of tho meeting (Mr J. G. Weir) stated that it was also intended to put in a railway siding to the enlarged factory, at a cost of about £4CO. lire directors themselves had promised to take 1000 of the new issue of shares if necessary. It was pointed out that it would not ha necessary to issue the new shares right away, as there was still £2400 of uncalled capital of the original issue. The chairman said (his would, however,. be an excellent opportunity for the suppliers to make tho concern practically a co-operative one by acquiring tho whole of the now issue. Application forms were then distributed, and 2350 shares were applied for in the room. The company’s banker (Mr A. J. Campbell) in a review of the position, stated that the company was in_ a first-class position, having paid for its buildings, accumulated a reserve fund of .£3OOO, and had carried forward £6OO at 'the end of last financial year. He should not be surprised if they found £IO,OOO too little capital, as he believed tho company would yet develop into a very big concern. The task that the RipponVale fruit, packers set themselves at the beginning of (he year to build and equip their packing shed* and prepare 6400 case? of apples for export was brought to a successful conclusion on Thursday, when (he Inst case of (he shipment was placed aboard the Raranga at Port Chalmers. Hie railway arrangements wore all that could be desired. Three thousand one hundred cases which were railed to Port Chalmers arrived there before the recent heavy rains, and 1500 wore to have been forwarded on Monday, hut were held up at Ranfurly on account of slips on the line. It was feared that these would miss the boat, but as soon as (he line was clear the Railway Department forwarded them on by special train at midnight, on Wednesday and landed them at Port Chalmers at 8.30 on Thursday morning in time for loading. It speaks well fbr the handling of the shipments that the whole of the 6400 oases wore safely stowed in the ship’s cool chambers without damage to a single case. The officers of both steamers showed considerable interest in their charge. The South American market is another open door for New Zealand apples, and an offer of space on the s.s. Orara was received by the association. This offer was quickly accepted by the shareholders, and tho shed has been busy through the week packing 300 cases, which are to bo railed from Cromwell on Wcdnto day next to load, at the Bluff on May 5 foj Montevideo.

Are you right for “No-Rubbing” Laundry Help? If not, ring us immediately. Is packet does'* scyen washings beautifully.— Wirrdell Bros., agents for “No-Rubbing.’ —Advt.

You want nothing but the best of workmanship in your suit or costume, at prices you can afford to pay. Quality not sacrificed for price.—G. S. Roberts, tailor, Stock Exchange Buildings,—Advt.

For influenza, Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure.—Advt. Well-dressed women now make their own clothes. _ MoHisons’ (Ltd.) home dressmaking system is at their service.—Advt. Try Watson’s No. 10 in hot milk for nightcap. Induces sound, refreshing sleep. Great whisky.—Advt. A. hi. J Blakeley, dentist. Bank cf Australasia, corner of Bond ana Rattray streets (next Telegraph Ofike». Telephone 3859.Advt.

Choice Jewellery.—Just landed, large selection diamond rings, watches, brooches, pendants, and silver ware. Compare values. — Peter Dick, Jewellers, 490 Moray place.— Advt a