SHIPS AND MORE SHIPS.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 190, 12 August 1919, Page 9

SHIPS AND MORE SHIPS.

SEW ZEALAND'S NEED. SIR JOSEPH WARD'S VIEWS. (By Telegraph. —Own Corrcsi.ondent.> CHMSTCHURCH. Monday. Tiie proposal that the Government Eliould be to set up a committee of expert producers to proceed to England to investigate the whole position of ?Cew Zealand meat at Home, and if possible to arrange for the future distribution of New Zealand meat, was referred to Sir -loseph "Ward for his opinion. He said that anything that could be. done, to re'ieve the situation certainly should he done, but the whole difficulty was in regard to shipping. The Government had tried all in its power to get extra shir* out here to relieve the congestion, and had succeeded in getting certain increases in the. tonnage from time to time allowed to the Dominion.

Sir Joseph expressed the opinion that tie sooner tbe producers could get their free market back the better. Once they had a proper supply of ships there was no doubt that the producers would be better off with an open market than they were under present conditions, and there was every reason why the producers should desire the free, market. Vntil its present contract expired the British Government would continue to distribute the meat at Home. Since the armistice much of the meat had doubtless found its way to the armies on the Continent, for besides the. army of oeeup:i:ion there were French and Italian troops not yet demobilised. Anything that could be done, whether it be the setting up of a committee to proceed Home or anything else that was calculated to improve matters, should not be left undone. Both during and since the war there had been such a huge business at Home and the machinery connected with it had been go great that those who sought to investigate it. with a view to improvement, got up against a very difficult problem. "The key to the "whole tiling, so far as my judgment goes."' said Sir Joseph, "is shipping, and plenty of it. Teirigerati-d shipping, that i=.. " That applies to the future as well as to the present."