PRODUCE & SHIPS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2495, 23 June 1915, Page 9

PRODUCE & SHIPS

TRANSPORT TROUBLES MORE WORK & FEWER VESSELS IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT'S GENEROSITY (By . Telegraph.— Special Oornepondent.) Palmerston North, June 22. 'A speech of great general interest to •tew Zealand and of particular interest to the producers of the Dominion was delivered by tho Prime Minister (the Eight Hon. W. F. Massey) when he opened the National Dairy Show here to-day. Mr. Massey said that lie had much pleasure in complying with the request to perform the opening ceremony. He had been looking round tho buildings and the ground, and he congratulated those concerned on the excellence of the show. From what he hadheard and what he had seen ho understood that this was. a record show, and that was saying a great deal. He added that he would liko to congratulate the producers on the experiencing of the favourable season which had just come to an end. The season had not -been favourable to the whole country, as some- districts ■ had suffered a very severe drought, but the district between Wellington and Palmerston North had had a season which was practically all that could be desired. However, taking the season as a whole, the value of the exports from New Zealand increased last year by £4,000,000. They had increased also in quality. The country was prosperous, and that happy state of affairs was in a great measure due to our export trade. Still settlement must be increased further yet, and as much land as possible must he brought under cultivation. The increases in the prices of produce were due to a certain extent to the war, in which New Zealand was doing its full share and.playing a somewhat prominent part. All deplored the war, and would be glad to see the end of it to-morrow, but the end was not yet. We must do everything in our power to assist in bringing the conflict to an honourable and satisfactory conclusion. There had been war difficulties for the Dominion to contend with, and among them was the task of supplying sufficient insulated ships. That difficulty was not overcome yet, and would not be until the war ended. First of all it • had . been necessary for the Imperial Government to take possession of ten per cent, of the whole of the shipping of the world. The mercantile shipping of Germany and Austria had been swept from the seas. No enemy ships were afloat to-day except in the harbours in which they were interned. go the position hid arisen as a consequence that the world had, on account of the war, to do more business and had twenty-five per cent, less ships to do it with. The New Zealand Government had commandeered some cf tho colonial insulated vessels to use as transports, and the Imperial Government comjnandeered some of our ships, but he had asked the Homo authorities to release them, and after a while they had done so. Then New Zealand had' to overoome the' difficulty of getting those ships hack here. For instance, it had cost £5000 to get one big meat-carrier bock in ballast. Then, other reductions in our insulated space had been made through the enemy sinking the Kaipara and the Tokomaru, and . through the Nairnshire taking fire. Not long ago it had become necessary for him to ask the Imperial Government to send out another ship. The shipping companj' had required £15,000 to send the vessel out,- and he had agreed to pay it. He had asked the British Government to try to take over these liabilities, and they had taken them over - and, never r.sked New Zealand to pay a penny of them. "I mention this," added the Prime Minister, "to show that while they have taken some of our ships they have treated us very generously." (Applause.) Then again, the Imperial Government had taken over all our meat supply, and had Taised the freight on it by forty par cent., but had not asked New Zealand to reduce its prices for its produce. The Imperial Government was, in fact, paying a reasonable price for the meat, and that was another instance of its generosity. The freight rates on dairy produce also had been increased, but in consequence of representations made by himself the Home authorities had agreed that the increase would not take effect till after May 31 last. It had to bo realised, the Prime Minister continued, that we could t- not build ships and could riot get them built, and we had nine ships being built for the colonial trade when the war broke out, but wo could get none of them completed now, as almost all of the men engaged in their construction had been taken for Imperial _ purposes. However, he had noticed in that morning's Dominion that there were now seventeen insulated 6hips on the way to New Zealand to take away produce. There were approximately two million carcasses of meat in store here, and it would need about 20 ships to get it away, so he was afraid it would not all be cleared before the new season's meat oommenced to come in.