CONTROL OF PRODUCE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 16824, 28 November 1916, Page 2

CONTROL OF PRODUCE.

LONDON, November 26. In reference to the statements in Australian and New Zealand newspapers that the Imperial Government controls the producers of the United Kingdom while controlling the prices of overseas produce n-~rketec! in Britain, prominent authorities collected with the handling of produced, interviewc "., say that the statements are fallacious, as the exportable commerce of the United Kingdom consists chiefly of machinery and manufactured gjods which the Government controls evon to a greater extent than colonial produce, and, moreover now controls the British agricultural and dairying inductries. In reference to the complaints to insufficient refrigerated tonnage in t'-3 Australian and New Zealand trade, and the suggestions for the transfer of some v:.3sels from the iuver Plate for the use of Australasian shippers, the authorities point out that the transfer is impossible as the Giver Plate steamers are built for a special trade, and mostly are absolutely unsuitable for the Australian trade. Moreover, the number of vessels in the River iiate trade are inadequate, and every month considerable quantities of beef which the army urgently needs cannot be shipped because tli2 steamers are xmavailauie. Mutton can be used for the troops i-i England, and to a certain extent in France, but le*f is absolutely necessary for troops at the front. The Government might have concentrated the refrigerated tonnage on bringing beef from South America. If it Lad done so it would have withdrawn a considerable portion of the tonnags engaged in the Australian trade, but :.efrained in order to maintain tho export trade from Australia and New Zealand though, at inconvenience and cost. As an illustration, beef costs about half •;..« price of cheese, but can be brought from the River Plate in half ; .c time it takes to convey cheese to England from Australia. It therefore seoms unreasonable that the dairying industries should consider themselves unfairly i-eated, especially as the refrigerated freights are very moderate, particularly when compa- 2 d with the freights juling- for Australian wheat.