SHIPPING FREIGHTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16348, 3 April 1915, Page 10

SHIPPING FREIGHTS.

PRESIDENT OF AUCKLAND CHAMBER OP COMMERCE. REPLY TO CRITICISM. (Pbb United Paisa Associ/moiO — AUCKLAND, April L Xno recent advances m snipping ireighta were iurtuer discussed to-day uy Atr itouers Burns (president ol the Cuasuoer ot *jomnierce). lie dealt part.cuiariy with Uie criticisms 01 his torroer statements by iur 0. -i - J-Ui-reli, oi the lYew Zealand shipping Company. Kclermig 10 the suggestion made by a represenativ-e of shipping companies in Wellington uiat his statements snowed' laclc oi wiormuuon, iVIr .Burns said mat tne tieignt laces which ho quoted were supputu to him by the Now Zealand bmppiug Company. 'ine company neglected to inform hnn thac prior to the outbreak of war contracts had been made lor the carriage oi butter and lrozen meat at tho oid rates, ana that the 6urcha,rge oi 2o pur <- -it. was not imposed on tnis class ui cargo. \Vhen his attention was drawn to this fact he had made a correction of his original statement. "The inference • is, however, obvious,." Mr Burns remarked, "that in the aosence of these contracts tue shipping companies would have levied tna it per cent, surcharge on butter and meat 1 am inicrmed that the freight rates fol shipments of such cargo from. Australia, waere similar contracts have not been made, have been materially increased." t-fbjectioi iia<i been ta&en, M.r "Burns continued, that it wa6 untair to estimate tho earning capacity of steamers on the bastf of a vessel capable of carrying 12.U00 tons of cargo. lie had, therefore, examined the actual case of the steamer AngloBrazilian, a vessel ot 4633 tons net regisier. Talcing the last round trip of this steamer as an illustration ot the result created by the increase in freight, a vessel of that size should have a cargo capacity of. 70'JQ tons. B.e had not been- abiQ to ascertain exactly the quantity of cargo carried by the steamer on her last voyage as a portion of it had beei landed at Australian ports, and records of Australian ports and re- ' cords oi those consignments were not available. As the steamer had been fully loaded her original cargo could hot have been less than 6JOO tons. Is reight' from Montreal had advanced by 42s od on the mini. rate and 57s 6d on the .maximum. Taking the former figure as the bas.s, it was apparent that on her last outward voyage the Anglo-Brazilian had earned £lZ;(oO more than she would have done on the July rates. Mr Burns said he had taken the figures given by the New Zealand Trade Review for the vessel's Homeward cargo, and, having calculated the freights as carefully as could bo done without the actual accounts, he had' found that the value of the freight was greater by £5500 than it would have. bees on the rates in force before the war. The earnings of the steamer for the round voyage the trip before showed an aggregate increase of £18,250. 'lhat figure he had counted Was entirely disproportionate to'the increase "in working expenses. The increase seemed startling on a vessel of the Ahglo-Brazilian'a size, and would work out at more per ton than the increase which ,he originally calculated., for a steamer of 12,000 tons capacity. Mr Burns added that his calculation had been mado on a mosfc conservative basis, and his figures could 'be readily checked, as the steamer came to New Zealand under consignment to the New Zealand Shipping Company, and made the return • voyage under charter to the Shaw,, Savill, and Albion Company. .. ■ * Referring- to the question of working expenses, Mr Burns said he could not understand the statement by : Mr .Turrell 1 that "coal had doubled in price." He was informed by the manager for the Westparfc - Coal, Company that the statement was, in fact, incorrect. • No advance had been, made in the price of bunker coal, ex collier, the only increase being 2s per ton on coal ex hullc.