SUPPLY OF SHIPS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16980, 14 October 1918, Page 4

SUPPLY OF SHIPS.

PRIME MINISTER'S STATEMENT

CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT.

Tho oiulook in regard to the supply oi shipping was referred to by i'--i l'limo .Minister in a statement on Saturday.

" As Minister in charge of tho Imperial Supplies jucpartment.' .-aid „w. .uiu*ry, ''I have done my bast to secure a Mifficient supply of snips in order lo get our

j products away and keep the commerce of I I the country going, and i think not unsuc | cessfuJjy; but 1 cannot possibly guarantee, mat me supply oi ships lor ine piesent i season will 06 equal to last year. Ail I can say 13 that taking the requirement of ; i me war into cunsiuejjui'n, mo •• •> 1 I .Ministry of Slurping will do its best for 1 us, and I believe mat the petition will itj- | prove steadily, but not npidiy as comI pared with what it has been during thej iast few months. The Imperial authorilies thoroughly understand the importance of suiiicieni shipii Icr the Mew Zetland and Australian trade, and nothing but the most urgent necessity will keep them sway i lro;:l UK. »\li.iu : Hutu <.<•.•.• . ! Shipping Ministry, 1 must say that there ; are Departments of State in Britain with. i which i am not so well satisfied in the I handling of our products, and it may be ! necessary for me to ask Parliament to i appoint a special committee to go into the whole question, so thai the public may understand some of Iho difficulties with which we are being called upon to deal." .Mr. Mf./sey .Hated yesterday thai, since his arrivii. 11; .mi. .. ~1: ; had a cablegram an the subject, and that | as a result of this message ho was able to i say thai the ship; :.. n »uiuomo;iiiiiui.-s i«j I move

BEASSUKIM INFORMATION.

13,000,000 CUBIC FEET NEXT YEAR.

[BT tei.eoh.vph.— association.]

WELLINGTON'. Sunday.

, The Hon D. H. Guthrie said on Saturday that in order to remove any anxiety nere about the shipping outlook. It- had cabled to the High Commissioner requesting him to make inquiries. " I i have received a, reply," said the Minister, j" which contains rather reassuring inferi mation. The first arrangements of the* I Allies have now been carefully reviewed. i Information as to any necessity for any alteration will bo cabled from London immediately, but, in the meantime, the information which was given to us in August stands good and should not be tiken to he cancelled by the remarks of the American Food Controller. The August, statement referred to the supply of 5,800.000 cubic feet of shipping for New Zealand to the end of December, and of 26,000,000 feet for Australia and i New Zealand in the following year. This means that about 13,000.000 "cubic feet will be available for New/ Zealand, bo that the T'oni.nicn will be placed in a very satisfactory position."