FOOD SUPPLIES

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2265, 26 September 1914, Page 8

FOOD SUPPLIES

THE AUSTRALIAN COMMISSION IMPORTANT REPORT THE ENEMY'S SHIPS AND DEBTS The Royal Commission' appointed by tho Australian Federal Government, about three weeks ago, to inquire into the question of food supplies, has submitted a further series of reports dealing with the necessity of preventing the export of supplies to any place where they would be accessible to au mnTmy, the commission advisee that no ship carrying foodstuffs should be allowed to depart without adequate guarantees being given that she will not commit a breach of tho proclamation. It is .recommended that tho ' Government should ascertain whether the British Government is prepared to place orders for tinned meats. If the British Government is unable to do so it is recommended that the Australian Government might nevertheless make arrangements for the canning factories to put up considerable quantities of tinned meat for export. Incidentally this would tend to alleviate unemployment. • Feeding Britain and the Allies, It is pointed out that if the' war is prolonged for a- year or more the pressure on food- supplies is likely to become acute. The full' effect will be felt of tho destruction of, and failure to reap, a portion of this year's crop in France, • Bblgiuni, Germany, Austria, and, to a lesser extent, Hus'sia; also of the expected shortage in the presont Canadian crop, and the certain, perhaps large, ehortage in the growing Australian crop. These effects, and the fact thatthe belligerents will-have dim-ir-iished opportunity of planting and cultivating the next crop, will probably not be nearly counterbalanced by the expected excess of the crop just harvested m the United States. _' "The feeding of Britain and the Allies is of vital importance if victory is to be. nchioved at the end of a prolonged war. It is, therefore, strongly reDommended that, unless the end of hostilities is reached before , the time for planting next year's Australian ciop, steps should be taken to largely extend tho area put under wheat and other crops, which, while not so suitable for export as wheat, , may be used for home consunip-; tion, to relieve wheat for export. ' "To' that end Australian land owners should be urged and induced (their patriotism should render compulsion unnecessary) to plant largely extended areas. As a security to them, if such be needed, the British and Australian Governments, acting in -concert, might engage to take up to a certain quantity at a maximum price of so much down to a minimum .price of so much, or at market price between. If that so taken wore paid for by the Commonwealth Government, the financial adjustment could be made without any strain, on the latter and without actual remittance by the British Government paying interest in, London to the same total in the Australian debts —-the States refunding to the. Commonwealth in Australia. Employment would be' assisted by such an enlargement of production. "Meantime it is recommended that the State Governments and their Agricultural Departments be urged to ta-ke steps to enlarge the planting, not yet completed, of maize and potatoes. One or both of these valuable crops bids fair to be short and to require, importation. This would be doubly : unfortunate in that the importation wouldprove costly to the consumers and mean loss of employment in Australia, while a shortage would entail a gTeater local call on the wheat crop, instead .of .-its.relief.'for the feeding of tho British'and'allied troops, on which, if the war bo prolonged, everything will depend." . ; . Foreign Cargoes. With regard to cargoes in foreign vessels held up in. Australasian or British Dominion ports, the commission recommends that efforts be made to overcome every difficulty in the way of having foreign ehips which are detained promptly sent on to the ports in Australia to which their cargo is consigned, in order that the requirements of consumers may be met, and industries which are now hampered by the want of machinery and raw material, carried by some of the vessels referred to, may be relieved, and employment be thus enlarged. .'" " .'. ... , It is further recommended that the assistance of, the British Government and the Government of the Dominion where the ship is interned bo sought to further and hasten the dispatch of the vessel to its ports of disoharge.. It is suggested, as a matter of safety and expediency, that the enemy's crew should be removed from the vessel at the port of detention, and'a British crew be placed on board to navigate her to the Australian port or ports of discharge. . '■ ■ As to vessels in neutral countries, it is recommended . that, steps be taken through the Government of the country or through the British Consul or other, representative in the <xrantry Where an enemy's ehip containing cargo for an Australian port or ports has. sought shelter, to have 'all difficulties promptly removed which wo-iild prevent or delay the cargo being forwarded to its in r tended destination by a British or neutralvessel. ( International Clearing House. Proposals are reported in the British Press of at least a partial application of the clearing house principle in dealing eventually with the debts owed by subjeots of the. enemy to" subjects of Great Britain, and vice versa; also with the securities held by each. One object of. these proposals is that British subjects should not# when a time for settlement arrives, pay over to the subjects of the enemy what they may owo while other British eubjecte, who are creditors of the enemy, are unable to obtain payment of their claims; also that British subjects holding securities in excess of their claims.on tho enemy should not release the surplus' while fellow British creditors are left -unsecure and unpaid. In other words, that debts and securities on one side ehould be set against those of the othor, and balances only he dealt with. . '.While,-in ordinary circumstances, this might be impossible, conditions of war permit and often demand extraordinary action by- Governments, and where that action is equitable it can hardly, in tho circumstances, bo projperly objected to because it may_ be arbitrary. The commission recommends that the consideration of this question by the British Government be asked, and it is suggested that if the proposals be found practicable, reasonable and advantageous, they bo adopted) not partially, but so completely that the enemy's liabilities to, and indebtedness to tjio enemy by, all portions and subjects of the Empire may be brought, if possible, into tho one clearing house. • It is also recommenced that in this connection the onemy's ships which prize courts may condemn to be interned during the war and then released bo brought into account, they to be held as security at the end of tho wax against debts due to the. Empire or its subjects till either the debts aro liquidated or tho value of the ships paid by the enemy, such payment to go into the general clearing house If t'he pmo court would require to give a decision to that effect before it could bo acted upon, it is suggested that when cases are brought before the oourt tho decision should bo sought. Seized Ships. Dealing ; with seized ships, the commission eays: "Although the breaches

by tho enemy of treaty, convention, and declaration might justify the United Kingdom in refusing to observe those provisions which favour tho enemy, it seems, from British l'rize Court judgments, that a general repudiation, howover defensible owing to the action of. Germany, is probably not proposed. Doubtless tUe course taken 'by the Mother Country will guide the Empire. It is, however, suggested , that within the limits of that course certain steps may apparently be taken which are horein recommended: "It seems that an enemy's vessel taken within the three-mile shore limit is to be held during the war, but handed ■ over to the late enemy on peace being proclaimed, while one captured beyond that limit nny be permanently retained. If this bo confirmed by further British Prize Court 'decisions, it may be presumed that the enemy's vessels captured on the. high seas,- and duly forfeited, may bo made use of by their captors in any way desired. "In view of tho practical withdrawal from the carrying trado of the world of the German mercantile marine, the demand on vessels for transport and other war purposes, and in spite of the reduc- - tion of tho oveasea trade of the Continental belligerents, there is likely to be a shortage of tonnage. This may affect Australia in two ways—one, much higher freights; two, an insufficiency of tonnage for her inward and outward trade, notwithstanding her reduced 'equirements duo to adverse circumstancea affecting her exports. ■' • ■ - ■• "If that prove to be the case, it is recommended that permanently forfeited vessels of the enemy be used, to meet the deficieney; and, if there still be a shortage, thoso held for return at tho end of the war bo used also by sijah process as the law provides or doee not prohibit. ■ In this connection it is highly desirable that tho Prize Court decisions should be reached as early as poseible."Mr. M; Allorge, the young French geologist who has been attending the Science Congress, regrets that.he has to cut his stay in New Zealand short on account of the outbreak of the war, as he looked forward to seeing a good deal of New Zealand from a geological aspect. One part, for instance, wae to have left the Bluff on a visit to Milfordj and some of the other West Coast Sounds, which district is the oldest in. geological formation in New Zealand. He had, however, visited the thermal district, and during his stay there had; climbed, to the top of Mount Tarawera, where ho had viewed the appalling scene of desolation created by the great eruption of June 10, 1886. It was with interest that ho was able to trace for miles-the great fissure through which'the lava from the crater had run. Whilst at the top of 'the mountain he was able, , with the aid of his glasses, to' see White Island quite plainly—this was about fifteen days ago —and he remembered quite clearly being struck with the great height of the steam spouts from the island. He judges that the island must have been in a state of violent oruption at that time to cause such a volume of steam as was visible at such a distance; : A correspondent signing himself "Importer" writes suggesting that the Wellington Industrial Association might ask the Government to inorease the duty on German-made articles to, 60 or 70 per cent. The time for action was now, the correspondent thought, and not when tho war was over, .and German travellers were "dumping" goods in. New Zealand, in competition with England. ■ He held that if the brutal conduct by the, Germans to an English Bed Cross nurse was substantiated, a polltax should be put on all Germans.' At the' sitting of tho Supreme Court in Masterton on Thursday, Mr. Juetice Edwards commented upon the inadequacy of the law library there. He remarked that to aek a Judge to decide law-points with..the books available in the local library was as absurd as asking a shipbuilder to build a ; ship without the necessary yards. The decision of' the Government to temporarily suspend all assisted passages has' not had any untoward effect U|x>n the farmers of the Auckland district, says the '"Star." The Auckland branch of the Farmers' Union has found that the experience of the past . few ; . weeks has shown the step taken to be a wise one, for it has enabled the local farmers'to absorb a good deal of the surplus labour in the towns; The experienoe "test" applied to the applicauts'for work has not been a very severe one, while the farmers have found that a big percentago of the men who have.fallen out of employment in Auckland originally canie from the country districts, and are fairly well qualified to undertake farm jrork. ■ Apropos of the need of being ever : vigilant and ready to defend the Church from aspersion. Dr. Gibb told an excel-; halt story at the annual.congregational, meeting of St. Paul's Church" on' Monday night (says the "Southland' Times"). The Btory was of two men and a dog, the owner of which happened to be a German. In the absenco-of itsowner, the dog attacked the other man, who, with prompt deftness, countered its attack with a pitchfork, and ho did the work so thoroughly that the-prongs were driven tiirough.the dog's- body. Presently the German came to remonstrate. "Well," said the second man, "he' was going to bite me." The Gorman asked why, if the pitchfork was the only available weapon, the blunt end was not used. "Well/' said the urbane second man, "I should have done so ha<? the dog turned his blunt end to me.'