SHIPPING CENTRALISATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3912, 5 March 1929, Page 18

SHIPPING CENTRALISATION.

POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT,

NAPIER, March 1. The Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) to-night made a definite statement that the Government was opposed to the centralisation of shipping. “ I can assure you,” he said, “ the policy of the Government is that it will not support any proposal to centralise shipping in the main ports that is going to be to the detriment of other ports. This country possesses a number of harbours of great value and service to their districts. They cannot all be the size of those of the four main centres, but they are serving a useful purpose. If such a scheme was carried out they would become stalemate harbours. Trade would go to the main centres, and this would operate against the development of the districts they serve. If the Dominion had not had these local harbours years ago there would never have been the progress there has been.

“ New Zealand is unlike many other countries,” continued Sir Joseph. “We have towns from end to end, and many of them have their outlets in the harbours that have been built. I would be very surprised to find the great shipping interests that serve this country and do their work so well doing anything in favour of centralisation. As a matter of policy I am satisfied that centralisation would be injurious to this country, and I am convinced that in adopting a policy in opposition to it we will be supported by the House of Representatives. The harbours we have now we want to develop and make more useful in serving the country.”

In reply to the Mayor (Mr J. Vigor Brown), who asked if the Prime Minister had read the statement made by the chairman of the Napier Harbour Board that the Railways Department and the Marine Department favoured centralisation, Sir Joseph Ward said that no such suggestion had come before Cabinet. When the Minister of Marine recently attended the Harbours Conference he had the full authority of Cabinet to oppose any move towards centralisation. That being the case, neither the Marine Department nor the Railways Department could get the authority of Cabinet to take any action.