SHIPPING FREIGHTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 72, 28 March 1921, Page 5

SHIPPING FREIGHTS.

OFFER BY SHIPOWNERS. WILL BE (P,y Tele_rap_—Tress Association.) (WELLINGTON, this day. Regarding a cabled statement re Mr. Massey "s complaints about shipping freights and a reply from London shipowners offering "New Zealand an option to take a-1 the shipowners' steamers at "blue book rates." the Prime Minister says:—"The official cablegram has not yet reached mc. unless it is one of several that I received in code yesterday. I am not surprised, however, at the suggestions put forward in the Press cable message. A somewhat similar offer was made three years ago, when I was in England. The sliips of the company that made the offer were and are trading with New Zealand. At that time the values of tlie ships were so high that I did not deem the offer worthy of serious consideration: to-day things are quite different, and the matter is well worth investigating." "Meanwhile." added the Prime Minister. "I can give no definite opinion until I get tlie cablegram, and see what the offer means. Then I will inform my colleagues. In reference to the Commonwealth Line of ships mentioned iv a Press cablegram, the allusion probabiy is to three enemy ships that were in Australian ports when war broke out, and were fa-ken over by the Government of Australia. That has little to do with us."