THE SHORTAGE OF SHIPS,

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15947, 18 June 1915, Page 6

THE SHORTAGE OF SHIPS,

The meeting convened for to-day by the Chamber of Commerce to discuss the shortage of Vhips has to face a difficult problem. It is essential that this should be recognised at the outset, and that the subject should be freed from the political bias and the clamorous partisanship that have so far surrounded it. The broad facts are that the war has curtailed shipping space and'led to an enormous increase in the quantity of meat available for freezing and export. This applies to every freezing port in the Dominion. In the north the shortage of spaco thus created has been aggravated by the allocations of the Overseas Shipping Committee, which, under Southern influence, has ignored the natural increase from the Auckland Province. Apart from a reconsideration of the allocations, which at best can only be a partial remedy, what is wanted is an increase in the number of ships and an increase in the insulated accommodation. It is useless to discuss charters, for ships are not available for charter. We cannot profess loyalty to the Empire and suggest that every ounce of meat should be lifted from New Zealand while supplies nearer to the fighting line are available in the Argentine. A more feasible way out of the difficulty would be for the New Zealand Government to make strong representations to the Imperial authorities with a view to the release of interned German steamers. Six were released by the ' Prize Court in Australia this week. These will go a long way to the relief of a shortage of shipping in Australia, which is even more pronounced than in New Zealand. The release of German ships would not at once add to the insulated space, which is the chief shortage, and the installation of refrigerating machinery on ordinary steamers is no light matter. But this difficulty could be overcome by insulating a larger proportion of the accommodation in our regular steamers. Thiß course could be safely, adopted if the steamefr- were relieved to some

extent from the carrying of ordinary cargo. The cost 'would' be heavy, but not prohibitive. As all shipbuilding yards arc now giving preference to naval requirements it may be years before new insulated steamers can be launched, so that the cost in view would not bo incurred for a . limited number of trips only. If proper representations arc made to the shipping companies there should be no insurmountable difficulty in inducing them to face a business proposition in a businesslike manner.