COMMANDEERED WOOL.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume VI, Issue 285, 17 November 1916, Page 6

COMMANDEERED WOOL.

SHIPPING SPACE PROBLEM. The great economic problem of today is that of shipping space. Few countries are so self-contained as to need to send nothing out or to require anything brought in. War has reduced the number of cargo-carry-ing ships, high freights have followed, and there is not sufficient cargo space to go round and meet the world’s requirements. Australia still has millions of sacks of wheat of last harvest to ship away, and more wheat is growing. The proposal ot the Imperial Government, through the Dominion Government, to requisition the New Zealand wool clip raises again this question of shortage of cargo space. When the Government took over all the exportable frozen mutton, iamb, and beef, it also commandeered the cargo space. Now it has secured the wool, and the presumption is that space for wool will be similarly acquired. At anyrate, wool will have to be given the preference in the allotment of space. What about other general cargo then—flax, tallow, hides, gum, and other lines? It is to be presumed (says the “Post”) they' will have to wait until the Government’s needs are satisfied, although it is reasonable to suppose that if the Government does acquire all general cargo space, as it has acquired the insulated space, some consideration will be given to general cargo —at anyrate, a reasonable proportion of such cargo would be allowed to go. But it should be borne in mind that that would entirely depend upon the Imperial need for the wool, whether it is so urgent that every bale is required, and that at once, and it is quite possible that almost nothing but wool would b e taken. Such would be a drastic step, but not improbable. At the moment it is difficult to say how much general cargo space will be available for the export season. The shipping companies, it is understood, cannot very' well indicate it. It is only safe, it seems, to take what tonnage is available after ships have safely steamed out of the danger zone.