FREIGHT INCREASES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3569, 2 October 1916, Page 7

FREIGHT INCREASES.

GENERAL RISE ON MONDAY.

• CHRISTCHURCH, Sept. 30. Mr A. W. Bennett, general manager of the New Zealand Shipping Company, ::nvo a newspaper representative some information yesterday regarding the increase of freights that will come into force on Monday next. ' "The advance of chief importance," he said, "is that in the wool freights, and the following table shows clearly what the advanco is:— i Old, rate. New rate. Greasy wool ... lg'd 2gd , Scoured wool ljjd 2Jd "In Australia the wool rates have been raised to 2^d-for greasy, and to"! 3^d for scoured wools, with a 33-} in-j crease, on all rates for general cargo, i . The New Zealand rate for greasy and.;, [scoured wools is gd less than the" Aus-;' 1 tralian rate, and the increase sit rates \ for New Zealand general cargo is con-' <.-.. ■ • !-;i!.(\ ti'f; -iian Uie increase made in Australia. We are not making a fixed all-round increase on general cargo, but each lino has been considered separately. I cannot give you the com- • plete list, which is a long one, but any- i one who wishes to find out can get all the information at my office." As to the reason for the*., increases VX U.--,ii. •• ->'.: -:vit the inereawd cost of coal and the higher wages of labour were, in themselves, almost suHifiont to warrant the advances made in oversea freights. But, in addition, charter party rates had advanced over "100 per cent., and in view of these facts, ship- j owners could not do otherwise than', raise rates. Referring to recent publio utterances on the subject of oversea freigiits/Mr Bennett remarked that, if ..'•:•• did not now make provision ' for adequate tonnage to deal with tho ! approaching season's wool g clip, nroducers, when the time came to ship, and there were no ships available,' would have probably upbraided the' shipowners for not providing tonnage,! and no doubt in the circumstances J

mentioned, would have said that they would be prepared to pay much higher rates than those now asked rather than

that they should not be able to ship their wool to the British market. On

the reporter drawing Mr, Bennett's attention to Mr J. A. Pann.ett'^ remarks

at the annual meeting of the Farmers' Coy Operative Association of Canterbury, with reTerence to the action of Mr W. M. Hughes, Prime. Minister-of

tho Commonwealth, in securing tonnage for the Australian wheat harvest, Mr Bennett commented that despite Mr' Hughcs's action, 'those interested in shipping matters in Australia had

raised freights. With reference to freights on frozen produce—meat, butter, and cheese, ■Mr Bennett said that there would be

•i-> irr-7"oasp in rates till the end of the

war, the Imperial Government liavmy commandeered "all refrigerating space

at rates much below those at present current. The rates being paid by the imperial Government, would continue to bo paid by it. Under present conditions no frozen produce can be shipped except by consent of the Imperial authorities, who fix the rate charged..

Additional Steamers. "Wo have,".Mr Bennett stated further, ufix6d five extra steame.rs for loading wool exclusively at New Zealand ports, these being tho Copcnh",.:■',■■;'• (!)..■>■">■»b<-v), St. Andrew, Century, and Southw-aite (January), and u.o Gogovale (February), but .we have •reason to believe that the St. Andrew

has, since her fixture, been requisitioned by tho Imperial' Government. "jOur London offico is endeavouring to fix -two mo.ro steamers for wool. The rates which we have to pay this sea-

son i'fir time-hire of such steamers are nv.ro tlv.in donhlo those we paid ' last Reason, and the price of, coals, which have to be supplied'by the charterer, has mcroascd in all parts oi' the

world."