Fast Turn-round Of Ships 'Vital'

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31114, 18 July 1966, Page 1

Fast Turn-round Of Ships ' Vital '

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, July 17. Sir John Ormond, chairman of the Meat Board, wants a national effort to speed up the turn-round of ships.

The time lost by ships on the New Zealand Coast was one of the factors in the recent 71 per cent freight rise, he said in Auckland on Saturday.

Sir John Ormond, who led the producer boards’ delegation to London for the freight talks, said on his return that the Conference Lines had sought an increase of 12} per cent.

By holding the rise to 7} per cent New Zealand had scored a win, he said. The contract with the shipping companies was not negotiated on a cost-plus basis. If it had been, the freight increase would have been 10 per cent, he said. “Nobody likes paying increased freight rates, but, on the other hand, a regular shipping service is vital to our marketing system,” said Sir John Ormond. The shipping companies were prepared to attack rising costs with faster ships and modern cargo-handling methods. New Zealand too had to strive for efficiency in turning round the ships and spreading the peaks in loading. Sir John Ormond was doubtful about the economics of a national shipping line for New Zealand, but said such a line might be useful for opening up new markets in the Pacific and South-east Asia.

He said he hoped the public interest in the increased freight rate was not just a nine-day wonder. It was essential to reduce costs and this could only be done with co-operation among the producer boards, the Exports and Shipping Council and the Government. Sir John Ormond said he

intended to seek the support of the council in Wellington next week. The trade agreement negotiated in London by the Min-

ister of Trade (Mr Marshall! was very satisfactory, Sir John Ormond said. He was confident the British market would continue to 11 take increasing quantities of 1 New Zealand produce, but at [the same time there was a ► need to continue the develop-i-lment of new markets.