PRODUCERS' SHIPPING COT.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17122, 18 April 1921, Page 8

PRODUCERS' SHIPPING COT.

MR BERNARD TRIPP'S SCHEME. (SPECIAIi TO "THE PRESS.") • TIMABU,. April 16. At a. meeting of the South Canterbury Executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, held in Timaru yesterday, Mr Bernard Tripp's scheme for the promotion of a producers' shipping company -(published in Monday s "Press") was discussed, and it met with the same hearty approval as when discussed by the Timaru A. and P. Association a week ago. ■ -. Mr Tripp gave a comprehensive view •of the doings at the recent conference of producers at Wellington, dealing with the present unsatisfactory wool posifion and then with the shipping questions. Failing .to get anything better, the conference had decided that the last fching they could do was to accept the fifteen months' contract which was_offcied by the shipping companies. Under this the producers would have to pay £2,200,000 more for freight on meat than in pre-war days, and on other produce the increase would be at least another £2,000,000. This was a very serious thing for the producers, who in this matter of shipping were in the nanas of a ring governed from London, ne had suggested a scheme for a line ol ships owned by the producers and backed by the Government. He ■ did not claim perfection for his scheme, but- he had put it forward as a foundation upon* which to build. Mr Massev had expressed his willingness to help m some way, his suggestion being' that the Government might stand behind the producers' shipping company in the same wav as they stood. behind the Bank 01 New Zealand. .Mr Tripp detailed his scheme, and said he had been very interested, in a letter written by. Mr gar Jones on this subject, particularly in the proposal that there should be a board at Home to look after the produce at that end. With regard to securing the money for the purchase 01 ships, Mr Tripp said that the Auckland loan just floated had been oversubscribed, and from indications m various financial papers it seejned not unlikely that money would get easier towards the end of the present year. He suggested that the four and a half millions needed for the purchase of the twenty ships which he proposed should be bought, ought to be floated about November; The Producers' Committee would meet again in Wellington on April 21st, when the matter of securing a producers' line of ships would be A general discussidii then took place, Mr Tripp replying to a number of quesIn B reply to, Mr Trotter, Mr Tripp said there were only four or five delegates at the recent conference opposed, to fifteen months' contract out of about one hundred present. The companies absolutely refused to give a twelve months' contract. Tho iifte©n montlhs contract covered two seasons. Walter. Buchanan and a few otn3 r & thought there should be no contract;, but tnat the producers should fight tho companies with chartered ships, after. going carefully into the figures, the great majority of the* delegates decided that they ought to accept, the fifteen months' v contract. To Mr John Talbot, Mr Tripp raid the contract only applied to meat. .The proposed producers' line of ships would carry everything. . ' ; ■ "Mr 0. N. Orbell said that if .the proposed producers' line of ships operated, there would be a Shipping Board .111 London in connexion with it, ana ihis Board would also look, after' the produce. He asked how long it. would tako to liquidate the 4J million IcanP ■ Mr Tripp replied 1 that, there would be £300,000 a year to put into the sinking fund, ,and with, compound interest and no dividends to pay, it would not take many years to repay the whole of tlhe amount.' >

Mr-John Talbot said the position was a very serious one, and they, were greatly indebted to Mr Tripp for his suggestions. They -must bo careful, however, not to run from one evil to another, as they were sometimes liable to do in deajing with politically-controlled concerns. He was very'much inCifined to tihe opinion that the first step was to get. some kind of combination between all the producing interests of the Dominion, and then,appoint ten or twelvo men to go thoroughly into the matter. He was afraid that working under the State-would not be satisfactory, 'l'hey needed to be sure, too, that the producers could carry cheaper witlh their own ships than the chipping companies now carried for them. They had not got definite proof that they were being "fleeced" at the present time to any' great extent. • Mr Tripp said there was not much State about his scheme, and in fact the State woul4. have nothing at all to do with it after the loan,was repaid. Mr Trotter said that under Mr Tripp's scheme .they would not be under the (heel of any shipping trust, and the producers should be able to run theiir ships as well as" the shipping companies ran theirs. '

_' Mr Orbell said he would be very sorry if that meeting put any liintf of damper on Mr Tripp's scheme. He thought they should back i£ vm f and it would no doubt be amended and improved. At the conference on April 21st the best possible scheme would be no doubt be evolved and adopted. (Hear, hear.) - Mr Talbot said he quite agreed with this view though he hoped that some way wojild be thought of by which State help could be done .without ( ■Mr OrbelL-said tliere was no need to fear Government control, as the Government wotfld only have two representatives on the Board of Control, and they could. not dominate the rest of the Board,' which would be comprised of 10 members. There fras no difference between the State standing behind this scheme and finding money for local bodies, The money would be used for the benefit of all the people, .and would have to be repaid. • 'Mr Talbot said they were greatly indebted to Mr Tripp, and he proposed: ''That this meeting recognises the serious difficulties which are facing the producers and this'country in view of the shipping problem, and expresses its hope that the Producers' Committee to meet in Wellington on April 21st will give their very serious consideration to the scheme brought forward by Mr-Tripp, on any improvement thereof." , Mr W. J. Bassett seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. • , The president (Mr J. Bitchener, M.P.) remarked that he did not like State control, but in a Board of 10 members the ' Government's tfro nominees' could not over-rule the others. Mr Tripp was entitled to their very best thanks for the time and thought he had given to this matter. Mr Orbell remarked that Mr Tripjf was one of themselves. He was a producer doing his best for New Zealand. It could not be said that he had any, axe to grind, or if this were said, then it 'could also be said tlfat his axe belonged to all of" them.