WOOL, SHIPMENTS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2672, 19 January 1916, Page 8

WOOL, SHIPMENTS

: PRIME MINISTER ASKED FOR HELP. By Telegraph—Press Association. H Ghristchuroh, January 18. A deputation waited upoii the Primo ■ Minister this morning to.;"ask whether' in view of the present congestion in the wool market the Government would allow wool-to be carried in some of tho insulated space on , board tho vessels \ Qt present reserved for meat shipments. The Prime Minister said it was uni doubtedly the duty of the Government to assjst'iu a crisis of this sort, and .if passible to help. The difficulty was i' worse because it had come suddenly. In ' other, years there had been no trouble =of the kind. He had been looking i after the. meat dairy produce to see if ! sufficient shipping space was available ! to take them away. Telegrams had api ipeared in the Press from the other end j, of the North Island that if no! space ; was immediately available to take aw&y : the' frozen meat-which was rapidly; ac- ; cumulating there, tho works would kav-o :to close down on tho 26th. Ho had ; received telegrams on tho subject him- • self, and he was afraid there would be 'difficulty in providing insulated space for wool. He would, however, look into '.•the matter. Tho Government had requisitioned a doien sliips for war purposes, but had not interfered with insulated ships. They had only interfered ' with one wool ship tramp which was conveying horses tc Egypt, and also ; taking general cargo to the Homeland. ■. He hoped the Government would not be compelled to requisition any more, but ■ho required ships ' Very urgently-for war purposes,.and would endeavour to secure ■ 'them as far .as ho possibly could with- ; but interfering with the ordinary trado '•of tho i country. 'The deputation's re- . quest he could not answer till he went (back to Wellington, hut tho Govemwould.do their best tolassist in Vthe mstter. Only recently two of the ■ jKestrknown traders had been taken by ■/the Imperial Government. - He ' had done all"he could, to. secure their release for' .trading purposes. He linew also -' that" some Governments wore 'content- ; plating commandeering for war pur-. :-poses ships trading to New Zetland, ■but he .hoped his representations in the .matter would have some effect. . _ h ■■ In repiy to a question, the Prime : jMinisteT stated . that the : Imperial :-Board of Trade appeared to have come •to tho conclusion when they consented ; ito: wool;going to America that only the quantity shipped- would go this ttime. "That, I don't think wo seem st-o have, understood tho • average •quantity to America from here, per ship, being 6000 bales,' and before the ' embargo we consented to. 51,000 bales. ; Quite likely.: the Board of Trade will say, this, is sufficient for one year."