[?]ghting The

At Sea

le pattern of international le in the Pacific, the roujtes g which it travels, and the toms” in which it moves, have vn considerable change over the few years. In some cases jht competition is fierce, i interesting example of this petition between shipping lines Ben on the New Zealand-Tahiti , which was for a long time a m Steamship Cos. preserve. The ting Union Cos. freight rate on route is 138/- NZ per ton for ;ral cargo, Auckland-Papeete, due to trans-Facibc freight petition they have had to /ily reduce services which in e this link, dw Matson Line is accepting :o on an approximately 28-day >atch basis, such cargo travelling id the Pacific and back to San icisco, then down to Papeete — the same established freight , of 138/ —and with small con ments accepted, be Union Company will at ent make calls at Papeete only a minimum cargo basis of 300 ;. When the Waitemata sailed a Auckland in February signors were unable to obtain a sion as to whether a Papeete was to be made, until a day two before sailing date, due mcertainty regarding this corn id 300 ton minimum. [atson Line are at present not •ying freezer cargo between kland and Papeete. If and :n they do, there may be no on Company calls at Papeete, he Sitmar and Netherlands Lines

vessels now making increasing calls at Papeete from New Zealand are not carrying any cargo at present—though they possibly would like to do so. Wheels within wheels prevent it.

Under an ordinance passed by the Rarotonga Island Council recently, no person may fell a tree growing within a chain of upper bare beach limits round the coast line of that island, except with special permission.

The order is intended to combat serious coastal erosion which has taken place in some areas where trees along the waterfront have been felled.