PLIGHT OF BRITISH SHIPPING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19669, 11 December 1933, Page 7

PLIGHT OF BRITISH SHIPPING

DEFINITE PROMISE OF CHANCELLOR IMPORTANT STATEMENT BY SHIPPING LEADERS United Press Association—B% Eiectru Telegraph—Copyright (Received December 10, 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, December 9. The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr Neville Chamberlain) said to-day: “We are not going to see British ships swept off the face of the ocean. We mean in one way or another to defend ourselves/’ BIG SUBSIDY IN U.S.A. INTERESTING REVELATIONS AT INQUIRY. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received December 10, 6.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON, December 9. The inquiry into the mail steamship services to-day considered the American West African Steamship Line, operating between New York, New Orleans and West African ports. The five years’ mail subsidies amounted to 1,614,000 dollars, about 26,000 dollars per pound, without which the concern would have shown over a million dollars loss, instead of a small profit that it did. The company's executives admitted, at the hearing, that it was necessary, at the time, to have the company agents direct the mail over the line, to bring the ships within the provisions of the Mail Subsidy Act. ATTITUDE OF SHIPPING COUNCIL. CONDITIONAL SUBSIDY APPROVED British Official Wireless RUGBY. December 8. By eighty-five votes to three, the Council of the Chambers of Shipping passed resolutions recommending that the “Government be advised that when any section of the British Mercantile Marine can show that a temporary subsidy is necessary to ensure its preservation for the time, the Government should favourably oonsider granting temporary subsidy; that the Government should be asked to intensify its efforts to promote a trade group of nations willing to trade on a reciprocal basis of equality of treatment, and with this object unilateral or multilateral trade agreements should be made with as many nations as possible, one of the terms of which should be that they should no longer discriminate against British ships, either directly or by the granting of an uneconomic subsidy. It was further resolved that in calculating the trade balance, the services of British ships should be remembered as an important national export, and that the buying power of the United Kingdom should be consistently and., firmly used wherever possible to defend British shipping against uneconomic shipping practices. It was resolved “that the Government be urged that immediate steps should be taken to ensure recognition in every part of the Empire of the gravity of the situation, and the jeopardy in which their trade and communications would be placed if the present tendencies continue." The Council drew the attention of the Government to the fact that the subsidy recommended by the Shipping Committee is one of 10/- a gross ton per annum on a pro rata basis a day for every voyage with a cargo or in ballast. A laying-up subsidy at half rate is recommended for a minimum period. The cost of these is about £3,000,000 a year.