Tabu

Matson Line Is

Auckland Demands Freer Trade With Fiji

A LIVELY war is going on between the Auckland Chamber of Com merce and the Government of New Zealand in connection with the refusal of the Government to give facilities to the Matson Line for the carriage of cargo between New Zealand and Fiji.

The Minister concerned (Mr. Webb, Minister for Labour) insists that the British line (Union S.S. Co. Ltd.) shall have preference in this trade between British ports: it is a vital principle for the protection of British shipping.

The Chamber takes the point that the service supplied by the Union Company is not sufficient for ordinary trade re quirements and shippers want the right to ship by Matson liner, if they desire.

The discussion, by the end of October, had become somewhat exacerbated. The Chamber’s President (Mr. N. V. Spen cer) pointed out that there was grow ing and important co-operation now between British and American interests in the Pacific, and he put it bluntly to the NZ Government that this was the wrong time to try to apply the prefer ence principle and make a distinction between the Union and Matson liners.

The argument commenced in Septem ber, when the Fiji Chamber of Com merce informed the Auckland Chamber of a number of absurdities which had developed as a result of the prohibition of Auckland cargo for Fiji on the Mat son liners. For instance, that Fiji wished to import New Zealand fish. In order to get regular supplies of cold-water fish onto the Matson liners, the ridiculous situation had developed that the fish had to be shipped in refrigerated cham bers from New Zealand to Melbourne, and in Melbourne it was put aboard the Matson liner and solemnly carried from Australia, via Auckland, to Suva.