THE BITER BIT.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 217, 17 October 1914, Page 11

THE BITER BIT.

SHELLING OF PAPEETE. FINE FOR DAMAGE. Press Association. AUCKLAND, October 17. Letters from Papeete state that the French Government has issued a notice that it will claim against German property at Tahiti and the adjacent, isles under the French flag ljooo,ooo francs, or £40,000, to help indemnify the losses caused by the shelling of Papeete. The Societe Commerciale de 1 'Oceane is the principal German house affected. Its headquarters are at: Hamburg, and its interests in the Eastern Pacific are worth, at normal times, more than •1,000,000 francs. AUSTRALASIAN SHIPPING. WAR BRINGS BAD TIMES. DUjSiEDIN, October 17. , There has been comment lately in business circles in regard to the curtailment of the intercolonial service between the southern ports of New Zealand and Australia. The Union Company points out, in response to enquiries, that the war has disorganised the trade in many ways, there being a reduction both in passengers and cargo traffic. Shipments from Sydney to Melbourne were largely transhipments from German and French vessels from the East and other places, and these have practically ceased. There has also been a falling off in exports to Australia. Apart from the effects of the war, the trade between the Bluff and Dunedin and Australian ports has been meagre for some time, the reason being that a great proportion of the export trade is now being diverted to direct steamers trading to the Continent and America, and this had an adverse effect on the intercolonial trade, which previously benefited owing to the fact that it was greatly used for transhipment purposes. In addition, the Australian market is not now so good as it was before the establishment of the Commonwealth, owing to the abolition of State duties. The present service, however, was only tentative, and representatives of the shipping companies were now conferring with a view to inaugurating a service the details of which will probably be available next week. *