The Wanganui Chronicle SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 1928. THE COMMONWEALTH LINE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20127, 21 April 1928, Page 6

The Wanganui Chronicle SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 1928. THE COMMONWEALTH LINE

JT HAS been made clear for some days in the cables that the

Australian Maritime Union has been trying to prevent the sale of the Commonwealth Shipping Line by a threat to declare the ships “black” as soon as they are taken over by private owners.

Now that the sale has taken place it will not be surprising if the threat is carried out and there is a general hold-up on the whole Australian walerfront, since it is difficult to isolate even the most trivial disputes in the shipping industry when one side only is anxious to isolate them.

The establishment of the Commonwealth Line, which has been run fit a loss of well over £500,000 a year since 1925, is an interesting example of the unfortunate tendency to drift unthinkingly into State Socialism which has marked the political life of Australia. It will be remembered that during the Great War, when Australia found herself with a huge exportable surplus of wheat and no ships in which to export it, the Commonwealth Government saved the situation by purchasing and operating a line of cargo boats. These vessels were somewhat antiquated, and did not pay, but the saving to the farmers more than compensated for this. State ownership had thus justified itself as an expedient in abnormal circumstances, but instead of abandoning the role of shipowner once the necessity for it had been removed, the Commonwealth decided to carry on with the experiment.

The old ships were disposed of, new ones built at the Cockatoo Island dockyards, and the Commonwealth entered into competition with the great shipping lines of the world—with results that are well enough known. The Labour interests argue that the Commonwealth Line, though operated at a loss, is justified because it keeps freights at a reasonable level, and they also object to the placing of the vessels under English articles, as this will mean a considerable reduction in the wages paid to the

But the point at issue at present is not the wisdom or unwisdom of selling the line, but whether a. minority shall be permitted to coerce the Government by direct action. The collapse of the Queensland railway strike should have been sufficient indication to the seamen that the moment they attack the basis of constitutional government they unite the whole community against them.