N.Z. PORT CHARGES CONSIDERED HIGH

Southland Times, Issue 23512, 19 May 1938, Page 6

N.Z. PORT CHARGES CONSIDERED HIGH

JAPANESE SUGGESTS USE OF SLIDING SCALE (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, May 18. Mr N. Nomaru, of Sydney, representative of the Osaka Shosen ' _ Kaisha Shipping Line, who has been in New Zealand for about a month, visiting all the ports investigating shipping with a possibility of extending the line’s operations, left tonight by the Awatea. He said in an interview that Japanese merchants had little knowledge of the position in New Zealand and for this reason he advocated a regular exchange of visits of merchants between the two countries that they might better understand the difficulties and problems connected with the marketing of produce and goods. The port charges in New Zealand, he thought, were rather high. “Sometimes the port charges are much higher than the freight charges we obtain and on top of that we have the cost of discharging and loading,” said Mr Nomaru. “My company would like to see the port charges reduced to the amount of the freight cargoes if we do not obtain vqry much cargo in a port. If, however, we obtain so much cargo that the freight charges are higher than the port charges, then standard rates could be charged.” He mentioned the loading of guano at Noumea or Walpole Island for New Zealand importers to show the disadvantage of high port charges. These cargoes were usually required at Wanganui and New Plymouth, but the port charges there made is unprofitable to proceed direct unless a sufficient inducement for loading cargo could be obtained.