The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 1916. SHIPPING DIFFICULTIES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 75, 4 March 1916, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 1916. SHIPPING DIFFICULTIES.

Discussing the shipping difficulties which are now facing us, the Poverty Bay Herald v. ry rightly says that New Zealanders, when all the circumstances are considered, can regard themselves as fairly fortunate in having been so well served with steamers tc carry their produce to England and to bring out their merchandise to the Dominion There have been delays and shortages of space, but the regularity of the services lias been well maintained, and for this we have to thank the Imperial Government t which has lent a sympathetic ear to representations on our behalf and has given us a fair proportion of the commandeered ships. But whilst Colonial requirements and the food supplier of the Homeland have been so far studied, it seems undeniable that there has been a tremendous lack of foresight and business management' in connection with the shipping services of. the Empire The matter was referred tc in the House of Lords in November, and Lord Jokey declared that had a committee of four or live shipowners been appointed to deal with transports many millions of pounds mighl hnv? been saved, and at the same late Sir J. Walton, in the House of Commons, declared that "one of the causes of the rise in the cost of necess- ries ithe enormous expanse mi shipping freights due to the huge number of ships of the mercantile marine taken over' by the Admiralty ;' the -hipr/ng experts were not given a fro- band, and they were overruled by the Admiralty authorities." This subject lias been expanded upon by one of the most prominent personages in London shipping circles, Mr David C. Pinkey who writes scathingly in a Home paper of recent date on the muddle that has prevailed. "Hugo sums of money." 1,0 says, "have been squandered by the Government officials owing to I her want of shipping knowledge, and every proposal to replace the incompetents J bv engaging a staff of qualified j

shipping experts has been turned down by the authorities. But that is not all. The reckless and indiscriminate manner in which thousands of steamer: have been requisitioned and are till being requisitioned ha;; eo depleted the supply of tonnage for commercial purposes (hat ocean freights have now reached the highest level within living memory, and the competition on the pail, of merchants for. vessel- iias become something hardly distinguishable from a gamble, the British consumer being the innocent victim.'' Since the above was written the situation has certainly not improved. According to the New Statesman, in this time of dire shipping emergency, when every bottom is of priceless value for enabling our commerce to be carried on, the Government have actually allowed hundreds of British ships, since the outbreak of the war. to be sold to foreigners and transferred to foreign registers. Britain lias certainly an astonishing record for tailing to take thought for the morrow.