The Shipping Shortage.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16272, 24 July 1918, Page 6

The Shipping Shortage.

At a social gathering some months ago the chairman of the New Zealand Woolbrokera' Association said that if the Imperial Government had not taken our produce, the country would have practically become bankrupt, and Mr Massey agreed with this view to the extent of saying that if. 'the Imperial Government had not made the purchases,, the consequences would have been "very serious indeed." The country is not yet safely out of tho wood. Some time ago the general manager of the New Zealand Shipr ping Co. gave some particulars -of the produce in store awaiting shipment, and the "Wellington fl !Post" prints a table bringing the figures up to date. The following is stated to be approximately the position respecting the produce hold in store:—

S « Value. Quantities. £ Greasy wool, bales 475,760 11,418,400 Freezing Co.s' slipe, bales ... 83,400 2,502,000 Meat, 601b carcases ... 5,200,000 7,020,000 Cheese, crates ... 335,000 2,345,000 Butter, boxes ... 180,000 720,000 Tallow, casks ... 45,000 900,000 Rabbits, crates ... 80,000 73,000 Hemp, bales ... 20,000 100,000 Total ' ... £25,078,400 There is also held in store, in addition to this produce, a great quantity of pelts, hides, dried milk, leather, honey, gum, and other general cargo. Most of the stuff in store is held on account of the Imperial Government, and is bought and paid for. If all this could be lifted, and the Imperial Government continued its purchases and payments, there would be nothing to be anxious about, but the shipping shortage makes the olearing of the stores a very difficult business. Additions have been made to the freezing storage capacity, but unless a very considerable quantity of the meat now stored is lifted between now and the end of the year, the outlook for the sheep-farmers will not be very promising. The "Post" says that the conditions in the South Island, as to feed and climate, are such that the Southern pastoralists will require to get their lambs away as quickly as possible, and that they will feel any stoppage of freezing more quickly than the sheep-raisers in the North. At the

present time production is at the rest stage, but the butter and cheese-mak-ing will begin in September, shearing in October, and killing at the freezing works in November or December. It could not be expected that the acute shortage of shipping—caused by the demand 'made by the armies in Europe,

and greatly accentuated by the losses.! through submarine action—would fail. to affect New Zealand's convenience J very seriously, but even so, there is reason to believe that the shortage of tonnage for this country is greater . than need be. Australia, according to j the information obtained by our Wellington contemporary, has been unduly favoured as against New Zealand. t " When the small allocation of tonnage " for New Zealand is taken into " account," it says, "together with the " heavy accumulations of produce " awaiting shipment here, the Dominion " shows up rather badly beside Aus- " tralia. These matters are all " arranged in London, and the local " Overseas Shipping Committee, it is

" understood, is practically limited to " allocating space in such ships as are " detailed for New Zealand loading. No " doubt the committee has made strong "representations of the actual state of " affairs here, but, if so, its requests " for more tonnage have not at the time " of "writing moved the London Commit- " tee to put New Zealand on the " same footing as Australia in "this respect." The "Post" adds that it is fairly correct to say that the stocks of meat held in store in New Zealand arc enormously in excess of those held for shipment on Imperial account in Australia at the present time. If this is true, and we believe it is, then New Zealand is being unfairly treated for the benefit of the Commonwealth. Mr Massey and Sir Joseph "Ward are no doubt making representations to the Imperial authorities, and we hope that they will continue to do so, and that the Government here will use all their resources to press upon the people in London the importance of supplying Now Zealand with that adequate share of tonnage to which it is entitled.