Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, THURSDAY, DEC, 8, 1932. LOADING OF PRODUCE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17957, 8 December 1932, Page 6

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, THURSDAY, DEC, 8, 1932. LOADING OF PRODUCE

Proposals for the elimination of minor ports from the itinerary of overseas vessels have been revived by a report distributed to branches of the Farmers' Union by the Dominion secretary of that organisation, it being contended that a reduction in the mini her of calls would have the effect of reducing the costs at present borne by producers. The present system of collecting produce for export is un-

economic, according to the report, which points out that, on an average,

it takes a boat 45 days to load in Now Zealand, and suggests that this time could be reduced by 50 per cent. The onty respect in which this piece of propaganda differs from various others which have preceded it, is that it is not intended, primarily, to increase the business of the main ports at the expense of the minor ones, some of which are already experiencing difficulty in meeting their financial commitments. The report, however, will undoubtedly be seized upon with avidity by those who are so keen to advance the claims of the main ports, and in thus bolstering up the case that has already been put forward by city interests the Farmers’ Union will be rendering a very real disservice to those interests it represents. It is freely admitted, of course, that it is desirable that any undue loss of time in loading, with the consequent increase in expense, should be eliminated if it is possible to accomplish that result without penalising those parts of the Dominion which, largely because of the unfair discrimination that has been shown against them by past Governments, have been compelled to incur heavy expenditure in order to partially obviate their isolation. v.lf'.it were possible, for instance, for Poverty Bay farmers to secure a substantial reduction in freights by utilising some other port there would be little objection to the adoption of any scheme put forward, but so far nothing of a practical nature has been advanced. The Farmers’ Union report suggests that time could be saved tit roadstead ports by using refrigerated lighters or insulated containers, but admits that this would increase the cost |of loading sit these ports. The result would be, therefore, that farmers in remote districts, whose costs already arc disproportionate to those in other centres, would be called upon to pay more in order that other parts of the Dominion might, receive freign' concessions. Even if it were possible to secure an all-round benefit by a reduced flat rate freight the. position would still involve the carrying of an added burden by those districts that are already penalised by reason off their isolation. If the shipping companies are put to unnecessary expense in loading around the coast, as is so frequently alleged, it is a remarkable thing that they have not. them selves taken the necessary steps to bring about a reduction, for it is no secret; that most of thorn are operating at a

loss and arc looking for every conceivable of .increasing revenue or reducing expenditure. The very fact that no such action has been taken is a complete answer to those critics of the minor ports, for it makes-it clear that any reorganisation could only bo at the expense of the producers in the districts concerned. A number of those minor ports have gone to enormous expenditure in the past in an endeavor to improve their shipping facilities, and the cost of the work that has been carried out .is borne, to a large extent, by the producers in the surrounding areas. This expenditure, as a general rule,'.has not brought them any reduction on their freight for exports, but it has resulted in their rating liability being increased. Moreover, if the centralisation scheme is ever adopted, and the minor ports eliminated, the burden on the producer will be increased to the extent that ho will have to pay additional rates to compensate for the loss of harbor revenue. Insofar as Poverty Bay is concerned, the Farmers’ Unior proposal means that exporters here would have to pay a special charge to provide for some more expeditious method of loading, and, in addition, would probably have to pay a heavier harbor rate. In return, they woual receive the benefit of a small reduction in freights which would benefit the whole of the Dominion. In other words, the producers in the vicinity of small ports would be mulcted for the benefit of the whole farming community. Undoubtedly there are many respects in which' the handling of the Dominion’s produce can be improved, from the point of view of efficiency, economy, and the maintenance of quality, but if any efforts in this direction arc to succeed, it. is imperative that they should have as their objective the welfaro of producers generally, and not of one section of them at liu expense of others.