THE SHIPPING SPACE DIFFICULTY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2496, 24 June 1915, Page 7

THE SHIPPING SPACE DIFFICULTY

AN AUCKLAND GRIEVANCE TERRITORIAL QUESTION RAISED Aji Auckland grievance in regard to the allocation of insulated space for frozen meat and dairy produco for the province of Auckland was brought under the notice of the Prime Minister yesterday by a numerous deputation representing the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, the meat export industry, the dairy industry, and the farmers. Mr. C. J. Parr, 31.P., introducing the deputation, said that the deputation would ask the Prime Minister to reconsider the allotment of space to Auckland for the month of July. For that North Auckland was allowed space for 9500 carcasses, while the allocation for the whole Dominion was 570,000 carcasses. He would suggest that onesixtieth of the available space was not a sufficient allowance for Auckland. The deputation would ask that a representative of Auckland should bo put on the Shipping Committee. Warring Interests. Mr. R. Burns, president of the Chamber of Commerce, said that it had been contended that Auckland had had mors than its fair share of space already, but an examination of the figures showed that Auckland had been given ffiace when no other district wanted it. When space was short, Auckland was shut out. It had been said that Mr. Massey as an Auckland member was inclined to favour Auckland. Mr. Massey: That is what the southern people say. Mr. Burns: It seems to us that the preference is in the other direction. Mr. Massey: That is what the northern people say. (Laughter.) Mr. Bums went on in an endea.vour to show that the shipping companies ana certain of the freezing companies were "intertwined." He contended that m one of the Canterbury companies men who were directors of a, shipping company held aa interest of £180,000. . Mr. Massey: Can't you get them to invest some, in Auckland? Mr. Burns said that if this could be arranged he believed Auckland would get space. He urged that there ought to be two representatives of the Auckland province tn the board, and that th 3 president of tho board should be a Minister of the Crown. He added* "When we passed that resolution the other day wo did not know that there was a Department of Commerce." Mr. Massey: I thought so. I can assure you it is a very livo Department just now.

A Number of Suggestions. The complaint was enlarged upon by several other speakers. Mr. A. Morton, representing the Dairy Association, was the only speaker who did not urge that there should be district representation on the board. He did contend, however that industries should be represented,' and especially ihe dairy industry. Most of the speakers argued that the commitee should have regard to the phenomenal development of the Auckland district in allocating space, rather than to the capacity of the freezing works in the province. They admitted that the Government had done much to help the producer to get away his produce, but suggested that still more might be done, A concrete suggestion made was that in some of the insulated ships the insulated space could be increased at no very great expense, and that in other steamers without insulated space some part, of their cargo space could be insulated -and refrigerating machinery installed in them. _ This was rejeoted by the Prime Minister as impracticable. Another suggestion was that 6eeing that all the stores were full and the Imperial authorities could not .take the meat away, meat might be exported to Australia, or to America, to allow the works here; to be partly cleared. Still another sr-ggestion. was that meat might be carried over to Australia and stored there until it could be taken Home. Mr. Massey made no comment on the suggestion that export to America should be permitted, but with regard to the storage of meat in Australia he said that his own advice was that stores in Austi alia were full, furthermore that there was a surplus of meat ill Queensland to satisfy the Australian demand, and that if the scheme for the storage of New Zealand meat in Australia were practicable at all, the cost would be so heavy that it would absorb all the producers' profits. Suggestions were made also that more should be done to expedite the sailing of ships from New Zealand ports in order that they might make more frequent trips and carry more produco.

The Shipowners' Committee. Replying -to the deputation, ' the Prime Minister said that the more tho question was discussed and ventilated tho better it would be for tho producers and the easier it would be for tHo, Government. With regard to tho constitution of the Shipping Committee, the deputation should understand that that body was set up, not by tho New Zealand Government, hut by the Imperial Board of Trade, through a sub-commit-tee which they referred to as their Tonnage Committee. This committee, like the committee in Australia, was composed of representatives of shipping coinpauios, and the object of setting up the committee was to avoid overlapping and loss of time by steamers, and generally to see that the best possible use was made of tho tonnage available. J ersonally he had no objection to Autkin! 1 - P avl *>g a representative on tbo Snipping Committee, but the reason it Jiaa no representative was that it was llot the headquarters of one of the oversea shipping companies. A representative of the Government !^nnoc? n ac y e< y. o the committee at his equest ■ and thisl had come about through a httlo difference he had had with the committee about the allocation of space for Auckland. He went 011 to explain in somo detail what the Gov-ernment-had done to secure ships for New Zealand. When the troops were landed 111 Egypt three of the big meatcarriers in the fleet of transports wero brought back in ballast. He also detailed the action taken by tho Government when it seemed possihle at various periods that certain ships were to bo. diverted from the New Zealand trade. Through these activities tho Government had secured to New Zealand tho-following vessels Star of Scotland, Nerehana, Indralema, Muritai, Kia Ora, Kangatira, and Delphic. A Ship for £500! When negotiating for the Zealandic to come out in ballast, the sum asked by the owners was £10,000. He asked the meat companies to pay half that amount and they refused. Mr. Burns: Auckland agreed to pay their proportion. Mr. Massey did not note the remark, and Mr. Parr repeated it, and then asked what that proportion was. Mr. Burns: X'soo. Mr. Parr: £500! You couldn't expect to get a ship for £500. Mr. Massey referred then to moro recent negotiations following upon the diverting of three New Zealand steamers to the River Plate. He had cabled through tho nij;h Commissioner a vigorous protest to the Board of Trade. The Government were advised that two ather. ships—the Hurunui and La Blanca—were coming to New Zealand. The Hich Commissioner, in the course of his renlv, said that in the allocation of steamers to various traders, the primary consideration was the procur-

inp; of a supply of meat for war purposos, and tlio countries of origin were not consulted. The South American meat-producing countries, Patagonia and Argentina, were not by any means getting all the ships they required. Mr. Massoy said that ho recited all the negotiations to show that the Government liatl lost no opportunities of conserving New Zealand's interests. The Political Element. "I said I did not object to discucsing this subject," said Mr. Massey, "I thoroughly approve of it as a. matter of fact. I have only one objection to offer about this business, and :t is this: that it lias been used for party purposes, and very unfairly used lor party purposes by the Opposition organ in Auckland." As to Auckland's Grievance about the allocation of space for July, Mr. Massey suggested that it was not fair to base a general complaint on the allocation for ono month, because a shortago in ono month would be made up in later months. He urged also that the present plight of Auckland was not nearly so Dad as the plight of Canterbury, where there had beeoi severe drought and stock were starving. "I happen to know," he said, "that the allocation of space_has been mado by the Shipping Committee in proportion to the number of carcasses in store. That brings you to this point: that Auckland up till the present has been lamentably short of freezing space and cold storage. Instead of having capacity at Auckland for 55,000 carcasses you should have, in view of the expansion of the district, capacity for half a million. And I think the people of Auckland ' should prepare for it. I hope the Auckland people, whoso business it is, will settle down and provide as much freezing space as they possibly can before next season comes along. "One Way of Looking At It." Major Lusk: If we have less storage, all the more need for more space for us in ships. , Mr. Massey: "That is one way of looking at it, Major Lusk." Continuing, Mr. Massey said that up till May 31 the total increase in export from the North Island for this season, as compared with last season, was 168,471 freight carcasses. Of this incfrea.se Auckland had had the extra space for 116.123 carcasses. He did not think that was unreasonable. He agreed Konerally that there were difficultiesin tho shipping of our meat, but he denied absolutely that there was the slightest cause for any alarm in regard to dairy produce. But in July space would bo available for 784,950 carcasses, in the next three months 1,889,450 carcasses would be lifted. The total at present in store was 2,000,000 carcasses. That was the position, and he thought New Zealanders ought, in view of the difficulties being experienced all over the world, to be very well satisfied with the provision that had been made for their requirements.