The Wanganui Chronicle. "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." FRIDAY, JULY 6, 1917. THE SHIPPING PROBLEM.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 17030, 6 July 1917, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." FRIDAY, JULY 6, 1917. THE SHIPPING PROBLEM.

In stating, at the meeting of farmers held ,in Wanganui on Wednesday, that " the farmers of New Zealand were now faced with the fact that the war was now directly at their door." Mr Allan Robinon was not guilty of the slightest exaggeration. The position created by the shipping shortage is serious, very serious, and it is only natural that the farmers should be very much concerned about it. Mr Massey is unable to hold out any hope that the shortage is likely to be immediately relieved. His statement, from which there can be no dissent, is that the first call on tonnage is to save the llnited Kingdom from starvation, and to enable the Allies to carry on the war, and tliat. the demands for this essential shipping must necessarily receive the first consideration from the Imperial authorities. Mr Massey is, however, evidently hopeful that by placing the facts with regard to our stocks befor the British shipping authorities, and the British public, early attention will be given to New Zealand whenever th" submarine outlook brightens or as new ships are placed in the water. His scheme for sending-forward weekly reports of the quantities' of food in store in New Zealand excludes any risk there nwy have been our case for consideration being overlooked among the many " urgent claims put forward by other Dominions. In other words, tho "N.Z. Herald" expresses it, the return of Mr Massey leaves our shipping problem unaltered, excepting in so far as its solution may be assisted by the shrewdness of a statesman intimately acquainted with agricultural conditions and versed in the very latest views and ideas of the Mother Country. "We were exceedingly fortunate until comparativplyVecent months in .securing enough tonnage tc lift > our produce in a very

reasonable time, and this, our Auck. land contemporary reminds us, was undoubtedly due to tho way in whbh the National Government presented ou? claims to the Imperial authorities. But a change has taken place since "ruthless submarining" was' declared to be Germany's one chance of winning the war. Our cold stores are now packed, and slaughtering is being suspended, while there is an undeniable check to the shipment of butter and other produce. We can look with indifference upon-a temporary reduction of imports, but if we cannot get our produce away, and cannot even store it in preparation for a relaxation of the shipping shortage the entire Dominion must suffer. It has been stated in Sydney that the British Government places the natidnal requirements in the following order:— Beef, mutton, cheese, rabbits, lamb, butter; nor has it even been suggested that butter is being urgently needed for army consumption. As to the measures necestr.ry to minimise the inconvenience and loss with which the farmers are faced, the "N.Z. Herald" says:

—"Mr Massey must know whether it is advisable that the manufacture of cheese should he preferred to the making of butter by our dairymen, .in which event a national effort should be made to encourage cheesemaking preparations before the approaching spring. Valuable as beef and mutton are and urgent as is the need for these primary foodstuffs, it must be realised that limited storage space cannot be monopolised by produce which can live on the hoof. If the cold stores can be cleared of meat before the dairying season, well and good, but if there is any doubt in the matter all slaughtering should cease and the Dominion meat markets be supplied from the hooks of the cold stores. The loss to our dairymen by depreciation in storage will be great enough, and we must certainly save this great industry from finding the cold stores full when the season returns. The scheme for easing the market and assisting the United Kingdom at one and the satae, time by shipping to Western North America under conditions of reciprocal export to Britain from the Atlantic Coast is apparently to be applied to Australian wheat, and might possibly be extended to butter and meat. In any case, something must be don*i, and done very quickly, if shortage of tonnage is not to have & most depressing effect upon our most important industries."