THE EXPORT PROBLEM

Te Aroha News, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5488, 16 May 1917, Page 2

THE EXPORT PROBLEM

A SERIOUS POSITION. 9} «««•■■» NO SHIPPING SPACE. Much anxiety is being caused in the - dairy industry by the poor prospects as regards shipment of produce from Auckland. At the present time the Auckland cold stores are full of frozen meat, there is much butter and fruit in storage, with very little prospect of clearance. This anxiety is the more heightened with the approaching dairy season, which opens in August, and unless relief is obtained before then conditions will be very serious. The hopes of the Zealand farmers are centred on relief, for if shipping space is not avaTable to shift some of these stores, thus making.room in the refrigerators for the over stocks of dairy produce, the deterioration of those products' will cause widespread loss. The value of the butter produced in the Auckland district last season approximated £2,000,000, and the ' cheese was valued at £312,000. During the present season the Auckland Farmers’“ Freezing Works have received butter valued at about £2,762,000, and about £590,000 represented in cheese products. Substracting from these figures a fairly substantial quantity used in local consumption the remainder is still largo, and the lack of shipping space, together with the poor prospects of relief, render the position unusually serious.

The Freezing industry. As a consequence of this great lack of transport facilities, much serious congestion is developing at the refriger. ating works of the Auckland district. Such is the position, indeed, that tho local freezing companies have been com. polled to refuse further supplies for storage. The Southdown and Westfield works are filled to capacity, the Auckland establshment haß limited space available, while the Horotiu works are also practically full, As a rosult of this congestion the Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Company has decided to close at Southdown to-day, and at Horotiu at the ened of the week. The Westfield Company will also shut down in a week’s time in all except the preserving department. ... The allotment of shipping space depends upon .the committee at Wellington, which has control of such matters. Its arrangements are governed by the shipping space available, and thiß in its turn depends upon the allocation of vessels by the Home authorities, thus it will be seen that there is but little prospects of early relief. Exportation of Beef. A subject of discussion amongst business men was tile influence thought to have been effective as a factor in limiting the assignment of shipping space to New Zealand by the Home authorities. These authorities emphasised tho supreme importance of beef, and it was thus that preference was given thereto. Yet it was stated as a fact that every vessel leading Southern ports carries large cargoes of mutton and lamb, while beef lies in the Auckland stores without any prospects of getting away. It was considered probable that the Home authorities, viewing the immense quantities of lamb and mutton, had concluded that the supply of beef was limited, and that, a smaller number of ships could be allotted.