MEAT AND SHIPS

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 125, 27 May 1920, Page 8

MEAT AND SHIPS

PROVISION OF SPACE

rREMIER AND SHIPOWNERS

The highly important question of provision for the carriage of New Zealand refrigerated produce was prominent at the Producers' Conference to-day. ; 1 -The Prime Minister, in outlining the position' as far as Imperial' Government 1" owned meat in store in New Zealand was concerned, after giving details of shipping arranged for and expected, said that there would be meat in store in

New Zealand as at 3ist December next

.equivalent to 3,000,000 601b freight car-. - cases, plus killings coming into the 1920----up to that date. He believed" :.the position would be better than that: -He thought that the meat in store would -be reduced by 31st December,to 2,250,000 • carcases. "■•• He thought that i£ some months ago : th© producers had ;a»Eed the Imperial to extend .'.'its control for :the purchase of rifliat beyond 30th June - next, that mieht have been- done. How- • eyer, it was clear Cnat'itwas not going *to be done now. \ T ..«, '■■• "But (he added) lam sure;the Imperial ("Government is not-going ta get the New JZealand producers,'down." ?.~ (Applause.) 'They have,always.;been.,-wilit)g;'to..meet ■jus, and they wiU'-continue to-do; that. ?NO DEALINGS :WITH MEAT ..TRUST.

'In replying to questions; Mr. Massey the opinion that the ■InrpTerial■Government would place no difficulty in the "•way of producers finding other markets ; for the meat. Jniact, he thought-he • could- say that the producers would refceive every encouragement possible- ■.:.: 'Sir Walter "Buchanan -remarked.; that -he'had''been"told that on lsfr-July- next

;'he would not be able to ship Unless he entered into • a • contract ' with the ship- "/! ping companies. . Mr. Massey said he knew nothing of tiTy commitments. In reply to, another question he said there would be no objection so far as ho could see oflfei'ed to ]Ke-w Zealand meat going to the United States. "What I do' object to," he added, "is any meat trust getting a foothold in this country. The New Zealand Government will .place' every difficulty in the . -way of that. - There can be no objection :,to New Zealand meat being sold -to

'America, but where" I do draw the line -is against any; meat trust owning -works In this country." • He had been trying to find out when 'heVlmperial Government would relinquish 7 control "of -"sKippiffg,' (jilt he had not, so far, been successful. i-However, he did not think it would last much

longer. He referred to insulated ton'■i?sge^rco^ss;;";^hsre'^fg:2st:Bntish'': insulated':vessels and 51" more" building— , es at 31st December last. Reverting to the American meat.market; Mr. Massey said- ■ her had -been watching-^most closely the evidence ofthe American Meat Trust. He could only say that (and he said it 'in all sincerity) it would not be a good day for the producers of New Zealand, or any other country, if the American Meat ■Trust obtained a footing in it. ;

SHIPPING PROSPECTS. Mr. James -Findlay (Shaw, SaVill

Company) eaid he was unable to give any information as -to when; 1 tile Imperial Government control>of-insulated-toißiag&JXQulcb end.,::.Speakii)g;ibr his" own company, he thought there would be ample space available. There would be provided seventeen vessels I afloat, and three building: Making two 'trips a yeax these vessels could lift 3,786,000

freight carcases (601b) per annum. If the space usually required for butter and-cheese r were deducted,- then- the space for meat' would be reduced• ■ to'■; 3,000,000 carcases per annum—conditionally on the vessels making two yoy-^ ages a year. '.." ' -.. •■ ,".""', /T; Mr. Wallis (Federal Shire "Line), said f

his company's vessels numbered eighteen. They had a • total capacity of 0,000,000 carcases. Half of the fleet

traded in Australia and half in New Zealand. The steamers /were inter- ■ changeable. Making two trips a year, these vessels would provide, space for 3,000,000 carcases a year. . '■■'■'■. Mr. J. E.- Rooper (Commonwealth and Dominion: Line) said his company's vessels traded in both Australia and New Zealand., Fifty per cent, of the vessels engaged, were allotted to New Zealand; and in practice if two steamers of the line were to load at the same time, then the! one with the larger insulate^ capacity loaded in New Zealand. During the ■war the company had lost six vessels, , representing insulated space- equivalent to that required for 500,000 carcases. These had been replaced by eight larger vessels, and at the end of the year there ■ would be two more. There would be space for 2,653,000 carcases per annum if the ships made two trips a year. But there.were many delays -which"..'■were'. against that, resulting; in some instances, in ships taking nine months for the round trip. -The voyage round-Cape Horn; was usually 38 days.' It.is. now, 50 $ ays) delays ■ occurring' at various , points,- and coaling at Newport News being -one..; oi. the. delays J '.. .Delays were common all over the world so far as' shipping was concerned, and that they well knew. Mr. G.; B. Bullock (New Zealand Shipping Company) opened with the re-t mark that thai shipping! companies had done their best to,"dispel any bad feel-" ing on the part of producers. He was, therefore, -veiy glad to. meet -the pro-' ducers;' Afi'they.weir knawj his xompariy ' had lost very heavily by the war in respect to its vessels. However, it was building,more. If producers would only leave'lthemselvis in the hands of the shipping;, companies "he was quite eurp that they would be absolutely all right. " Deferring- to existing New Zealand shipping, tonnage .and that- under.,. con-. Btrirction and.about.ready,. Mr..;BullockV estimate of the insulated space availablel'was2,B&l,ooo carcases a.year, the vessels making two'voyages a year. ' Mr. ■ Findlay pointed out that,' after providing space for dairy produce, there would be available space for carriage of 10,400,00" carcases a year, while New Zealand's production was equivalent to 7,000,000 carcases. There ! ■ would, in fact,.be more space available.than could .actually be filled. : FUTURE FREIGHT BATES. When asked to say ; something with refrence to future, freight rates to be charged by the;shipping companies, Mr. Findlay-said • there, was not the slightest chance .of any information on that point being, available at that moment. The cost of running the- steamers ■■:"had''in-creased-enormously j They might be reduced, they might even be- increased, He could not say,;,, no one could say.. Therefore it would not be right nor fair to the shipping companies or to the produceraj to; venture., any statement as to what freights would be. Mr. Bullock (replying to Sir Walter 'Buchanan) said the- information asked for as to future freights rould not be given because it was not Known "We do not 'know and therrfoie we cannot give it. .We are'keeping nothing back I'his I can say, :'th'H.tfoe Tates;(-rthJtcver" they may be) from; New Zealand will com pare very;,'fi.you.rajblj \uth thQsq from .any other country.,in the world ' FREIGHTS'fi?H:BN' AND NOW - jitthe4'£qxiestjoi.4>eveiAl spe-ikers,-Mr Firt^te3rr;^!K"'J!arUculais »of p'ew*r

freights and those at present current— collected -by-this' Imperial-Government.

The Government paid £6 12s 6d per cubic ton of 40 feet, which was rather less than the rates it charged for meat, viz..: Beef, 1 11-16 d per pound ; mutton, 1 13-16 d per' pound; lamb, 1 15-16 d per pound ; and rates for butter were 5s 4d per box; cheese ljd per pound; tallow, £9 lbs per ton. These rates were plus 5 per cent. Pre-war rates were: Beef, S-16d per pound; mutton, 11-16 d; lamb, jd, less 5 per cent; tallow, 40s per ton; -.butter, , 2s 6d.'per box; cheese... 9-16 d per pound. The shipping companies did not get these rates. ;; . :. :

He pointed out that as compared with pre-war freights, though the above were higher, yet to-day' coal for bunkering had increased 600 to 700 per cent., handling charges 150 to 200 per cent., .engine-room stores 360 per cent., repairs 339 per cent., labour 150 to 200 per cent.

The. shipping companies would endeavour to _give producers asVcheAp a rate as they possibly could; distance for distance, as cheap as any country in the world; but.when it.came to saying what the freights would be he must say No. It "was useless, to try to corkscrew out of him any opinion at all as to what the- freights would be. .

Sir Walter Buchanan said- he had had made to. him in London an offer of a freight rate of l£d on wool, the steamers ti>-come-out empty, but the British Government' 1 would not' let' the boats come out. -

Mr. Findlay said he knew -all about the offer." He thought the. owner of the boats had thanked his stars that the offer was, not taken up.

- The conference at this stage adjourned ■for separate discussion of the particular interests _of, _ producers, shipowners, freezing companies, and exporters.

(Proceeding.)