TRADE WITH FAR EAST

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 83, 9 April 1934, Page 8

TRADE WITH FAR EAST

SHIPPING SERVICES POOR LINE TO HONGKONG NEEDED. I t CO-OPERATION WITH EXPORTERS. (By Alexander Tetzner—No. 13.) The evidence for the case of the trade with the Far East is not complete without going into the intricate ques- | tion of shipping. One hears too many pessimistic opinions expressed that s . without direct and adequate shipping facilities between New Zealand and the Far East no trade is possible, or that there is no communication at all. This is not correct. New Zealand ; has a choice of four different shipping lines. They arc (a) Union Steam Ship Co., Ltd., (b) vessels chartered by the U.S.S. Co., such as the s.s. Narbada, (c) the Matsou Line, U.S.A., and (d) the Japanese lino Osaka Chosen Kaisha. Ltd. With the exception of tho Union Steam Ship Co., Ltd., and the Matson Line the two others aro direct lines, giving shipping service from the ports * in New Zealand to the ports of the Far East, without any need of transhipment. The two lines, the Union Steam Ship Co., Ltd., and the Matson Line, required transhipment of goods, in the first case, at Sydney, and in the second, at Honolulu. As the Osaka Chosen Kaisha, Ltd., on their homeward voy- • age pass the Chinese ports en route from New Zealand, without calling at them, goods shipped to ports other than Japanese must be transhipped at Kobe, Japan. All these lines arc equipped with refrigerated space and are capable of r conveying our perishable goods through the tropics quite satisfactorily. The assertion that we have no shipping scr--1 vice to tho Far East is therefore erroneous. The question arises only how effective it is, and to what extent it s can cope with the increasing interchange of goods with the ports of the Far East. “Obsolete Service.” The s.s. Narbada is making voyages , between New Zealand and Calcutta (India) only three times a year and, being an obsolete boat with very high freights, is not well patronised. The Brisbane Marti and tho Melbourne Maru of tho Osaka Chosen Kaisha, Ltd., though up-to-date and very convenient vessels, are catering for the Australian trade, and aro maintaining a monthly service for goods consigned J to Japan. The intercolonial service of the U.S.S. Co. and the American line are, therefore, the most likely transporters for all tho cargo directed from n here to tho Far East. “The direct trade routes from New Zealand are largely via the Pacific and mainly to western Canada and the United States,” says Mr. L. J. Schmitt, New Zealand trade and tourist commissioner in Australia, “and to tho United Kingdom via Panama. There are also fairly good services to eastern America and eastern Canada, and a splendid service to Australia, but New Zealand I more or less lacks direct and regular contact with all of tho countries in southern Asia and southern Europe.” It appears, indeed that bar Home lines, we have good, frequent and even luxurious service with ports where we aro exporting nothing, as the trade witiz. U.S.A, and Canada is practically ’ extinguished, and that these lines serve to supply us with a good amount of foreign imports from countries -where from we cannot expect reciprocity. A man who knows East Indies ant the Far East better than we know New Zealand says: “In Dutch East Indies c and in Singapore I have seen hundreds and hundreds of ships coming and going with full cargoes to and from different parts of the world, but I do not remember seeing a ship there with a good cargo to or from New Zealand. Now I ask you, is not that strange?” It is, and tho more strange that wo arc importing from the Far East s various goods valued at £2,500,000 a year and are exporting goods valued at £500,000 a year. Would Supply Ships. Yet we must rest content with Ihe existing arrangements, because the shipping companies assert that given trade they certainly could easily put any amount of ships to ply directly t between New Zealand and the Far East. The vicious circle —who starts first, the shipping company or the merchant, in promoting now trade with the East —must bo broken, to my mind, by tho vessels going first. Such was the case of American shipping, such was the policy of the pioneering enterprises of the British mercantile manno when they conquered the world’s sen transport. Now they are given a golden opportunity of inaugurating a new line, free from any foreign opposition, and linking up parts o ftho British Empire—for obviously the port and the centre where we want to see New Zealand ships “coming and going to and - from” is Hongkong. In forgetting to establish a direct shipping service to the ports of the Far East, we are helping only the Australian and/or American companies. The Eastern and Australian Line run a 7000-ton. steamer each month to Rabaul, Manilla, Hongkong, Shanghai, then via Japanese ports to Yokohama, returning by the same route, except that Shanghai is not a port of call. Tho Australian and Oriental Line, controlled from Hongkong, runs a 5000-ton steamer once a month between Aust/i--lia and the East, the terminal ports r, being Melbourne and The e Nippon Yusen Kaisha has three 7000r ton steamers maintaining a monthly •. service from Melbourne via Philipr pines and Hongkong to Yokohama. The I Osaka Chosen Kaisha has 7000-ton fast j motor vessels trading between Yokohama, Hongkong, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to New Zealand, returning via Sydney and Brisbane, but omitting ports of China on the return trip to ” Japan. The cargo sent by Matson Line from New Zealand is transhipped iu Honolulu, in the course of one day, into Robert Dollar Line holds. The 1 share of the freights, therefore, which '■ is coming the way of our national ship- ' ping for Far Eastern cargo, amounts to the remnants left in the intercolonial service New Zealand-Sydney. Tho rest " is going to the foreign shipping, under h present arrangements. '• Lt is no wonder that freights are 1 very high. It is much cheaper to e consign any cargo to London than to a port three times nearer to us. The r best route to the Far East for cargo e is via Honolulu, whence there aro two '• good steamers weekly to Singapore, and < many first-class boats to Hongkong. 1 Shanghai and Japan. And this route is American. The freight rates to Eastern ports from New Zealand vary but little with the various ship[>ing companies. Casein,

» for instance, varies from 65s to 80s. 1 general cargo from 75s to 80s, condensed milk (40c.f.) from 65s to 80s, butter r 7s 6d per box, meat (refrigerators) from lid to 2d per lb. milk powdered e whole 40c.f. from 60s to 130 s, wool 1 3 3-8(1 per lb, apples (cooler) 6s per box, i etc. 3 It is to bo earnestly hoped that in 3 the interests of the country, and in i their own interests, essentially, the 1 New Zealand national shipping will . take the matter of existing services to 3 tho ports of the Far East much to heart, and that tho existing conditions s will be changed so as to assure a i mutual co-operation between the ship- , per. and conveyors.