SHIPPING SHORTAGE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 10087, 28 September 1918, Page 7

SHIPPING SHORTAGE

COMMENT ON MR HOOVER'S PROPOSAL. (Special to Times.") MASTERTON, September 27. The Masterton Chamber of Commerce passed the following resolution at a meeting this afternoon: —That this chamber views with alarm the proposal by Mr, Hoover to withdraw Allied ships from the Australasian trade, and learns with satisfaction that the Government is taking prompt action with the object of seeing that the proposal will not be given effect to unless it is found that the proposed diversion will have a greater war benefit than leaving vessels on their present running. Mr J. C. Cooper, managing director of the Wellington Farmers' Meat Company, in speaking to the resolution, dwelt upon the importance of getting as many troops as possible to the front. Each ship, he said, was taking 2000 troops to France, and that was winning the war. To get ships.for this was the chief thing.--) The authorities would not listen to New Zealand's wants if it interfered with military operations, and quite right, too. The big American army must be got across to France and fed. He knew from experience -ibat the authorities were doing everything possible in regard to providing shipping. What was more important at this juncture was to provide more storage accommodation throughout the Dominion and not leave this to the last minute. :After the shortage of shipping had heen known for months the Government came along and asked the freezing'companies to erect storage accommodation"'almost once. The request was quite out of the question.