SHIPPING ALLOTMENT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 19, 17 October 1918, Page 6

SHIPPING ALLOTMENT

A COMPLAINT FROM THE SOUTH. Complaint has been made in. the South Island that Canterbury was being unfairly treated in the allotment of space for the shipment of peas. It has been stated that while Wellington was allowed to Ship a. considerable quantity of peas no spßce at all was allowed Canterbury for this purpose. Referring to this matter yesterday the Hon. D. H. Guthrie,' Acting-Minis-ter of Supplies, stated that in a steamer which recently loaded at New Zealand ports, uuder instructions from the Imperial Government to provide space for vegetable and farm seeds and maple and partridge peas, a pro rata space allotment was made to I'icton for' shipment at. Wellington, to' 1 Wellington shippers, and also to Lyttelton. After the departure of ; the steamer from Wellington on her way south with her Wellington cargo on board, instructions were received from the Imperial authorities that Wool was urgently required,- and was to be shipped, to the exclusion of other general cargo. Under the circumstances it was necessary to cancel the allotment made for the shipment of peas at Lyttelton. , The New Zealand Overseas Shipowners' Committee realise that hardship has been suffered by Canterbury shippers, and when the present instructions giving preference to wool are lifted the allotment made to Christchurch will have priority of lifting, providing that'the incidence, of the loading ports o'f the steamer permits of this.

By an earlier steamer which sailed towards the end of March last the stocks of peas held in Canterhury and in other parts of the South Island were to a great extent cleared. By a subsequent steamer sailing in April the shipment from Lyttelton totalled 2812 sacks as against 635 sacks .from Wellington and 924 from Dunedin. A further steamer which sailed in May' loaded for trimming purposes 1200 sacks of peas from Wellington, and another vessel sailing the. same month loaded at this port in broken stowage 495 sacks of peas and beans. In steamers sailing during June 400 sacks were lifted at Lyttelton, 166 sitcks at Wellington, and 475 sacks at Dunedin, in addition to 1100 sacks from Picton, which comprised a special Imperial Government order. From the foregoing it' must be plain that there is no foundation for the statement which previously appeared in t*io Pi'ess to the effect that preferential treatment has been granted to ■Wellington district; and the Minister desires to state emphatically that not in any instance has it come to his knowledge that there has been the slightest attempt to -mete out preferential treatment to any portion of the Dominion or to any particular port or company since his connection with the Imperial Supplies Department. In fairness to the Overseas Shipowners' Committee, which is now rendering very valuable work to the Dominion, the Minister deems it expedient to make this statement.