AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22258, 10 May 1934, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY

MEETING OF COMMITTEE; ' The General Committee of the Aus-i tralian Society met last evening. The president (Mr A. A. Paape) occupied the-: chair. ••• • y-‘ Major-general W.‘ A. Coson, Director of - the Melbourne Centenary: Celebrations,: wrote expressing appreciation of- the fine; co-operation the committee was receiving from New Zealand; ' : Mr S. W, M. Stilling,, of the; Australian Travel Association, advised that Mr Nesbitt, the recently appointed trade commissioner, be in Dunedin early, in July, and would be pleased to meet members at a social evening. With regard to the Centenary celebra-; tion, it was stated that advice had been received that no reduction; in fareswould be made by any of the shipping, companies concerned. ; - In connection with the Centenary cele-, brations and the Bluff-Hobart-Melbourne-service it was unanimously agreed to! endorse the opinion already expressed—that the Maheno was quite unsuitable for the service. The opinion -was expressed that as the three-weekly service eliminated Lyttelton and Hobart entirely andprovided only seven passages from Bluffy the arrangement was most unsatisfactory. It was stated that the saloon fare from, Dunedin was over £2O, and provided for only four—or, as an alternative, three —v weeks in Victoria. The absence of excur-, sion fares was not in keeping with the concessions that were being made by all shipping companies from Great Britain, The Union Company’s programme pro-, vided a service which was doomed to failure, and in consequence would directly injure the much desired regular service between Bluff, Hobart, and .Melbourne.' In view of this, it was decided that an, emphatic protest be forwarded to ther Prime Minister regarding the Government’s proposal to grant a subsidy to the Union Steam' Ship. Company.. • 1': . It was decided to request the Govern-; ment to arrange, without further delay, for a reciprocal agreement with the Government of Australia, commencing with the removal of the embargo ,on citrus fruits, in view of the' epidemic, of influenza colds and general sickness. The present cost of American oranges and’ lemons was considered by the committee’ to be beyond the reach of the great majority of people.