SHORTAGE OF SHIPPING

Evening Star, Issue 16547, 5 October 1917, Page 2

SHORTAGE OF SHIPPING

RISK IN SPECULATION. [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, October 5. The Prime Minister stated in the House of Representatives yesterday that, as far as he could see, shipping was not going to be plentiful. Ho made this statement m reply to Mr Brown, who asked, if the Government knew what was going, on in Hawke’s Bay, vdiere outside buyers were buying up lamb on hook at 9d per lb. Mr Massey said that anyone who was buying lamb at 9d was taking a serious risk, because shipping was riot likely to b© plentiful. There was still a large number of carcasses in store, and, as beef had preference in shipment, and wether and ewe mutton next in order, it might be necessary to prevent lamb going out of this country after February. Mr Payne said the Westfield people were an American company, who had recently chartered a vessel and emptied their own stores of frozen lamb. Was it right, he asked, that any company should be able to pay 9d per lb for lamb on hook and sell it at Home for 2s per lb? Mr Massey: I don’t know, that anything of the sort has taken place. It is impossible in existing circumstances. With regard to the company at Westfield, ho was of opinion that it was a thoroughly British company.

Mr Payne; Their office is in New York. They are really Yesty’s, formerly of London, and they removed their office to New York to escape Income Tax. They are a nice British firm.