NEW ZEALAND AND THE WAR

North Otago Times, Volume C, Issue 13147, 31 August 1914, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND AND THE WAR

, wak bisks on mirVmK 1. ■- w "V'- ; TIIE GOVERNMENT'S ACTION. ( v (For Press A'ssociati^rt 1 .) jy, "WHTjTJINOTON, August 20, ■ The; Government > to-day issued ; tlie following st.itcinent. on the.,subject. of war risks; updir which'tluoro■ been some "discussion 111■■ Parliament. -■ ' •

"The Imperial Government, having: iiindc provision rin hulls and cargo of English merchant ships, at ft vrti'ymg rate (which is at; present,. guinean per cent), the' New Ze/llaildf-'Govern-ment-has endeavoured to iiiaki! arrangements for war. iiisk insurance of 'cargo from tlie'Bfaminioii to England at the same rates proposed by .the. Npw Zealand Government, and. that,ril: should be permitted to act as the agent; of the Imperial War Jlisk dlTiee, or alterhatimely that the New Zealand Government, ilielf issue cover and lie reinsured at the Imperial Office, were foi 1 Snfilcien reasons not acceded to by the Imperial Government, '• ' V ' .

''Special, arrangements have . been made for. cargo per. transports, With respect, to- cargo in. steamers ofc than transports, the-New Zealand ment informed the Imperiiil Gdverh- • ment that ftmr lines qf-steameri regu- / larly "trade with New Zealand produce to Loiidon, viz.: the New Zealand Shipping Company, the Slidw Savill Coinpany, tlie'Tyeer Company, and the'Fed-., eral-lloulder Line, all four'voyaging via Cape Horn, coalin'g'at'Ei'o' or' Monte Video and Teneriffe,- and requested'that .hulls and cai'go of those four lines travelling by that route might be.included in the Imperial Insurance scheme.

"The New Zealand Government fur. tlier stated that for. the, purposes' of sales of or advances agairisfTNew Zealand produce,' deliVeYy,of shipping documents, including fulNnsu'rMc'e.cover, is necessary according to tfiei of New Zealand trade, and that application for cover in London is.therefore inconvenient, . ..

"The last telegram received, on. the subject. by His Excellency from the Secretary Of State on the 28i;li : inst,,.i9 now by His Excellency's permission; published for general information. , '"The New Zealand Government has requested His Excellency to inform the Secretary of State, that ,'NewJZealajid will act in accordance with'this'telegram. Every consideration has been given in London to the representatives from New Zealand, on this subject, and it is not, considered right, to further ' urge alterations in favour of New.Zftji-, ■. land, of tlio procedure settled by the Board of Trade for all parts of the Empire, Imperial Government's Scheme. " 1

' The following is the text of the cable from the Imperial authorities upon which the above statement is based; "The Board' of Trade state, that. many and large insurances are daily being effected at the War Risks Insurance ; Office, on goods from New Zealand and " Australia, and' that, 'arraiigemon'ts'' are' working smoothly. The necejsary parti- " milars. would ••IWWlcgrrtplidd- to;"an v ' irc agent in London, who effects the insurance, the insurance documents then " being-deposited with the banks in this country, who will inform the Dominion banks by telegraph that insurance Km been effected. The Board of Trade conj'sidcr that there should be i:o difficulty in folowing this procedure in ease of cargo shipped in transports, except; ' ! with regard to shipments which aire too small to bear the cost of the necessary telegrams. In the case of su'eli ship- \ ments, they suggest for the eohsidera- * Hon of your Government, whether t.h.ev would be prepared to cover risk's tlie'm- " solves, rather than press for "modification of existing arrangements in this important principle, and so establish '■ and inconvenient precedent. As negards the four steamship lhie3 referred to, if the vessels are included ill one of the :: '- approved war risk associations,' hulls and cargo can be covered under' the Government scheme at current'rate's. Ii ' > is believed that some at least of the vessels are already entered in one or other of the associations." '. :