ADVICE AWAITED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 204, 30 August 1933, Page 5

ADVICE AWAITED.

POSITION IN AUCKLAND. ONE VESSEL AFFECTED.

No advice has been received by the interested organisations In Auckland as to the terms of the new shipping freight contract, and it is expected that word will not come to hand until the clearance of the mail on Friday morning, when the reduced rates become operative. Commenting to-day on the Wellington report, which is accepted in informed circles as an intelligent anticipation, prominent exporters said, that an all-round reduction in freight rates had been expected. While other costs in the past three yeare had been lowered, freight charges had lagged, and the benefit that would result from the reduction about- to he made _ was too obvious to warrant elaboration. In shipping circles it was stated that ae far as Auckland was concerned there had been no evidence of cargoes being withheld with the object of obtaining the advantage of the new rates. In one case, that of the Mahana, which arrived this morning from Gisborne to continue Homeward loading, portion of the Auckland cargo will be taken on at the current freight rates, and the balance under the new schedule. The other overseas ships in port, the Eangitane and the Mataroa, will not come under the new schedule for their Auckland cargoes, as the former will leave on Thursday and the latter this evening. Australian Benefits. Substantial benefits to the Australian producers are expected from the new freight contract the Commonwealth, export iboards are negotiating. A letter received in Auckland to-day from a firm of leading Australian exporters stated that there ie every probability of the shipping companies operating the Australia-United Kingdom trade making reductions which will mean savings cf £200,000 to the £100,000 to the meat producer, and £40,000 to the butter producer. The same advice indicates a substantial reduction for this eeaeon in the quantity of Australian dairy produce available for export to the United Kingdom. The estimate on August 21 was that for the period covering July 1 to October 1, there would I>e a reduction of 10,000 tons, and that for the complete season, as compared with the returns for last year, the falling off would be represented by between 15,000 and 20,000 tons.