SHIPPING FACILITIES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2381, 10 February 1915, Page 7

SHIPPING FACILITIES

FOR MEAT & DAIRY PRODUCE SHIPPING MANAGER'S ■ (By- Telegraph.—Press Association.) Ghrlstcfiurch, Fobruary 9. A Statement was made to-day by Mr. A. W. -Bennett, general manage!- of the N.Z. Shipping Company, regarding the shipping facilities for frozen nleat and dairy produce during the present seaSon. . „ . "Up to the present timo, said Mr. Bennett, "the New Zealand Shipping Company have .been able to fairly satisfy the demands for space, but owing to the feqilisition of tile I Hororata by the Government, I anticipate Shall not have nearly Chough tonnage in Match to SUpply the ol growers. I think wo shall be milch better off. in April, and after that I hope that tiid diminution of the output of We&t from Australia will haVe the effect of bringing insulated tonnage over to New Zealand. In my opinion,- the cause ef the shoftage of tomiage is ii6t so much directly owing to the war s although that of course has taken a ccr.t&ih number 6f steamers out of the trade for- troop-carrying purposes* and ttfo of the' New Zealand shipping Company's the Tokomaru and the faupari. have been destroyed by the enemy, but the causa lies mainly in tho fact.that during the period from October 1 to the end of February, owing to the enormous demand for meatEurope and the early season for dairy produce tort, there has been an increase in the shipment of meat and dairy-produce equal in volume to the space occupied by a million carcasses of .sheep as compared with any-other i preceding year. That is equal to an average carrying capacity of twelve to fourteen steamers, and of course makes an SnofinoUs difference. As a matter of fact, at the present moment we are loading fifld expect to dispatch in February seven steamers. In February, 1914, we dispatched three steamers, and in February) 1913) .we dispatched three steamers. It will therefore be seen that tie. reason is not so much the scarcity of steataSfs as the enormous increase (winch' may 'bci temporary only) of the frozen meat and dairy produce exports.'' .' - Regarding a complaint relative to the Shipment of riifeat frOta the Patea works, Mr. Bennett Stated that the New Zealand Shipping Company were bound by contract to most of the freezing companies fit Naw Zealand to ship their meat. ' There was no such contract with the Patea-Company, aid the New Zealand Shipping Company could net, while tbere was such a rush for tonnage, take the meat flrofa the Patea Company, and so shut out meat from other companies which they were bound by contract to take.