PORTS OF CALL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23516, 2 June 1938, Page 12

PORTS OF CALL

RIVAL CITY CLAIMS COMMERCIAL INTERESTS PERTURBED SUGGESTION OF A THREAT (Special to Daily Times) AUCKLAND, June 1. An assurance that Mr R. H. Nimmo, of Wellington, who was recently stated to have been urging upon the head office of the Matson Line, at San Francisco, that its liners should be diverted from Auckland to Wellington had no authority from it to undertake such negotiations has been given by the directors of the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition Company to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. The president of the chamber (Mr A. Ely) wrote last week to the Exhibition authorities stating that, according to a press report. Mr Nimmo had been acting as a member of the Exhibition’s Board of Directors in reference to the proposed change in the Matson Line’s New Zealand port of call. “ We are fully conscious,” the latter continued, “that this matter is largely one of financial interest to the company concerned, but the definite information we want is whether Mr Nimmo acted on your authority, as the interview implied. If so, my executive wishes to point out very definitely that such action is not in the best interests of the Centenary Exhibition to be held next year. 11 needs hardly to be stressed, I am sure, that such action by Mr Nimmo —creating as it must controversy between our two cities—must be detrimental to the whole-hearted support of the exhibition.” Mr Ely has received-a reply from the secretary of the Exhibition stating that his communication was brought before a meeting of the directors.

“ I have been directed to inform you,” the letter adds, “ that Mr Nimmo is travelling on his own private business and, as a director of this company, he was authorised by the board to carry out certain negotiations on its behalf, but he had no authority to make any negotiations with the Matson Navigation Company.”