THE P. & O. COMPANY.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9741, 28 April 1910, Page 5

THE P. & O. COMPANY.

United Press Association.— By Electric Telegraph —Copyright. Received April 28, 10 a.m. Sydney, April 28. Mr Treiawney, superintendent of the Peninsular and Oriental Company. referring to." Sew Zealand complaints about the Auckland service and the suggestion of a special tax on the service, p.ttribcfcd te Mr Fisher, declared that the Company are net greatly concerned in the matter. The Auckland crips bad proved satisfactory ana v;iil_b3 resumed in October, but outside the European passenger season the service would nos pay. Every trip cost about £2ooopaid in Auckland for New Zealand produce. By far the greater number of passengers were bookcdgto and from Ear ope. With reference to the suggested tax the ports of clearance and destination arc London nod Auckland, neither pert being in tne Commonwealth. It seems to him therefore that an attempt to i«vy special taxation on the Company s vessels on the ground that they employ Indian labour will be a matter for the Imperial Government, as the Indians are citizens of the Empire. There appeared to be some inconsistency in the fact that while Australia and New Zealand are within tho Empire there should be refusal to acknowledge the status which the Empire has given to its Indian citizens. The Company does not employ Lacsars because they are cheap, as "they -cost little, if anything, less than British hands. It employed Lascars because it is practically impossible to get a suffi oient number of trustworthy British hands to rim tho Company’s many services in the way they must be run for traffic. Even if the Commonwealth were to pay a subsidy instead of levying a tax It would make no difference to the fact that the best class of white labour is unobtainable foi high speed boats in the tropics. Failing the best the Company employed the best it could gat acclimatised to tropical labour.