MERCANTILE MARINE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21710, 30 July 1932, Page 22

MERCANTILE MARINE

SUBSIDISED COMPETITION. The operations of foreign overseas shipping companies, particularly the Matson Line, in competition with the New Zealand Mercantile Marine, were dealt with by the retiring president (Mr W. Perry) in his address to the council meeting of the Wellington branch of the Navy League on Monday evening. “No one can object to any Government subsidising its merchant shipping or mercantile companies,” said Mr Perry, “ but the point of principle on which we stand is that so long as American waters or the waters of any other country are closed to our mercantile marine, then to that extent our waters should be closed to the mercantile marine of other countries, especially if that mercantile marine is subsidised by the Government of its country. . . .

So long as British people will continue to travel in non-British ships, as they are doing not only between New Zealand and Australia and other countries of the Pacific, but also from Italy, through the Mediterranean, and to the East, then so long are we encouraging other people to build up their mercantile marine which will compete with ours. We are not merely metaphorically but literally scuttling our own ships, and the Navy League, believing that the mercantile marine is to the navy perhaps as the army service corps is to the army, feels that it is a subject on which it is qualified to express an opinion. We have expressed that opinion in no uncertain voice to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence, and we have reason to believe this particular matter will be discussed at the Ottawa Conference, and perhaps a common line of action decided upon.”