STEAMER SPACE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2444, 24 April 1915, Page 8

STEAMER SPACE

AND THE CANTERBURY DROUGHT.

The Prime Minister was interviewed yesterday about the vexed question of steamer space for exports of frozen ■neat by Mr. F. H. Pyno, who came up to discuss the matter with the Prime Minister, and also with the Overseas Shipowners' Committee.

Mr. Pyno explained the difficulty in which graziers in Canterbury are placed at present owing to the drought, stating that some farmers are sending sheep to the North Island for grazing. Unfortunately things are not as good for the grazier 111 the North Island as they might bo. Tho rains in Hawke's Bay of 4 few weeks ago have not been repeated, and the growth of grass has oeen disappointing, so that the outlook for the winter is not cheorful.

"The Government will do everything possible to remedy tlio difficulty," said Mr. Massoy, "but the trouble is that there is extreme pressure from other parts of New Zealand as well as from Canterbury. In several placeß works have closed down temporarily. It is doubtful whether in- such places more slaughtering eau b« done until'about the end of May or ( the beginning of Jun#."

Mr. Massoy added that he did not anticipate any serious difficulty about the export of cheese about which some manufacturers seomed to be anxious. Cheese was beinn; used extensively at Home, presumably for this Army, and space would no doubt be found for it in some of the ships. In any case the cheese exporters' needs' were not nearly so pressing now as those of tha meat exporters.

CANTERBURY REQUEST FOR .INFORMATION REFUSED.. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

Chrlstohiircn, April 23. The Ch'ristchurch Meat Producers' and Meat Exporters' Committee has received a reply from Mr. . Findlay, chairman of the New Zealand Overseas Shipping Committee, Wellington, in connection with the last appeal to inform the local committee of the_ basis on which the allocation for shipping space for May was made. Mr. Findlay replies in the following terms:—"The committee has fully considered _ your telegram of yesterday, and is still of opinion that no useful purpose would be sftrved by giving publicity to the basis of allocation of meat space per the steamers Zealaudic, Mamari, Ruapehu, Turakina, and Indrabarah." These steamers, it may bo remarked, are meat boats which will load in New Zealand ports during May, and of their total oapacity, Canterbury, Marlborough and Otago have been allotted space I equivalent to 132,000 freight carcasses.