DAIRY PRODUCE FREIGHTS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11750, 26 November 1903, Page 4

DAIRY PRODUCE FREIGHTS.

It mil be remembered., that a month or two ajroit was ceibled from-Melbourne that the i "Wnlte Star Line had retoced the freight on Victorian batter to London or Liverpool to id. a pound. Such a concession to their competitor* would necessarily be a rferien?, thing for the Kew Zealand producers, and oa this ground the Minister of Trade and Commerce (Sir Joseph Ward) at once wrote to the New Zealand Shipping Comply, the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company, «ad the Tyeer Company asking ■what concessions they were prepared to Make to place the New Zealand producer on the «ame footing as regards freight vritth the Victorian. The Tyser Company made no reply, but the other two entered into a> vigorous correspondence with the Minister. The report that tfoo Victorian freight had been reduced was soon proved to be dncorrect. The facts were that a large quantity of butter had accumulated in the Government depot at Melbourne in the hope that the price* in. Australia would advance as they did last year. Thin expectation was not realised, and the White Star Line granted a special concession for the carriage of this consignment at id a pound. The Company ictuaHy offered to carry batter to London and Liverpool for the whole eckson at that rote, J but the service was only to be a monthly one, and moit of the Victorian* shippers had already arranged trith the Peninsular and Oriental and the Orient Pacific CompantotJor a weekly eerrice to London at 3d per lb. Moreover, the average passage of the Weekly boats from Melbourne to 'London is about 41 days, while fire o! the White Star boat* averaged 50 days each. The Whit* Star Company hid no great"expectation, of re'oeiving business under the circumstances, and the offer to curry at £d per pound was soon withdrawn-. .

The dbcttssioa aroused by tbe Minister of Trade and Commerce has served a good purpose in demonstrating the very favourable conditions upon which New Zealand consignors are now working. Certainly Government control could not give a more satisfactory arrangement than is disclosed by the correspondence and the remarks of Mr H. P. Murray-Ayasley at the annual meeting jof the New Zealand Shipping Company oD Tuesday. Whiki tbs .Orient Pacific and P. and O. boats make an average passage of 41' days from Melbourne to London, -th* New Zealand Shipping. Company's steamers ore delivering Ne«r Zealand

dairy! produce in London this season in forty-two olf forty-three days. Tie* Bh*w, Savfll and Albion and New, Zealand Companies have entered into ooatsacte with iht National Dairy Association to provide; a regular fortnighUy fast service fpr the carriage of dairy produoe for a period of which tlie« are-three or four yean y»t to run. The basis freight of the coct*act» k.;Jd r*r ib on the net weight of butter «nd 9-l6d on the grost Weight of chetae; but very coasiderable reductions are for. "For instance, while the Victorians have to put their batter alongside the ship at their own expense and. pay fd per lb, without any rebates, the, K«w Zealand companies allow a rebate of 2i per cent. besides paying 10s s> ton far coastal freight, 6d s< ton for transhipping overside, and 3s 6da ton for traftshippteg over the wharf. Another point to b» considered is tliat Yietentt butter is aU loaded at 4NM pact,

wfi'ile""the" N«r'"Zeatiiad *Sbippfng Company'e sttaowrs during th« p*»t year have averaged eeren ports. It i» interesting to note that the same Government irhicU is eodeaTonring to eqxieexe farther conce»ion» oat of the New Zealand companies is paying a subsidy of £30,000 a yew to the New Zealand and African line, which is allowed to charge $d & pound for carrying butter about half way to London. It is only another Ulnstratioa of the singular fact that the Government, wfcile always ready to grant snbudiefl and make concessions \o foreign lines, is never happy unlee it is trying to hamper the local shipping companies who have built up the prosperity of New Zealand by their enterprise in the carrying trade without, ao far, giving their ovm ahereholders even tie current rat« of interest *on the capital invested.