SHIPPING SHORTAGE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3127, 4 July 1917, Page 11

SHIPPING SHORTAGE

IMPERIAL AUTHORITIES' VIEWS AND MR, MASSEY'S ACTIVITIES 1 INTERESTING CORRESPONDENCE

Tho importnnco of tho eervico rcn-' clonal by tho Now ' Zealand. Ministers; while at Homo with regard to providing! shipping space for tho Dominion's p'ro-j duco is disclosed in very interesting cor-' respoudence botween- tho Prime Minister! (Hon. W. F.' Massey)' and Sir Joseph P.' Maclay, Coutrullor of British Shipping. . This correspondence began on March 1 27 last, when Mr.. Massey. wrote an..urg-.' cnt letter to tho Controller, pointing.; oiifi that tho Acting-Prime Minister. :(Sir''' .lames Allen) lind cabled'the-' information'.'.' that tho British Hoard of Trado;had di- . verted to the American' irado two steam-. ors, regular Now- Zealand 'traders, which had boon definitoly allotted to tho Do-! minioh for tho May loading, and .that! tho withdrawal of these, vessels would'!', | liavo a very serious effect on tho already;' heavily increasing accumulation-of meat! l in tho Now Zealand stores. Mr. Ma's-;', ecy entered a very strong p.rotcst.ngainsi; .. tho Ixmrd's action, and soughit'tho Con-;/--; trailer's personal consideiation ' of tho ; matter, with tho object of having'iho'." instructions cither witbdrawn-"or.6TLl)--. : stituting two otlier insulated boats.- , Two days later Sir Joseph''P.' replied in effect that -what had been.; dono had been done because tho national] safety required it. Ho added: "A.n nde-1 quato food supply is a matter of )ite] and d oath for our people, andas ogainst.. this no consideration of commercial; detriment can for a nioment bo weigh-' ed." Ho emphasised..that the..gravity;'., of tho conditions made necessary the; transfer of 6teamers from the nioredisr tant to the more adjacent sources of Bupplv, in order to augment essential; imports. The withdrawal of the two, vessels concerned was made to safeguard, the very object which had avowedly- ' prompted Mr. Massey's protest. He personally was most anxious to avoid or. mitigato auy prejudice to tho interests oi. New Zealand but the situation being what it was, ho was .quite irnaMe ■ to hold out any hope that the vl«£ drawals could bo cancelled or tliattiieso represented.the limit of what would bonecessary in tho same direction. . .. AVriling to Mr. Massey on April S, tne Co, roller of Shipping «?!«»*»£ had been found necessary to plaoe.in tno Phtotradc! for ono or more.voyages, five nsulated steamer, usually fallen dangerously low. He «ga ,n om_ nagc disposition. As Mr. Massey had admitted ntiho conference the .safety of tno Array, which in this instance wfl i volved! must prevail over all other con-, Nations. Th P ere was., therefore no al-. . teruativo to tho expedient adopted. On April 5 Mr. Massey wrote to tha Minister- for Shipping. ™£ring Ufl most emphatic protest", oganst tho diversion of tho fivo steamers to the Plate radc Ho pointed out that New Zealand had lost the Kaipara and the Tokomaru that another had been damaged.by fire, that a new ship for, the New Zealand trade had been .requisitioned by. Australia, and that the Clan Maotavrsh. had been sunk by tho wider Moewo.and also that the Bolorun, Otaki. Port Nicholson, and Port Adelaide, all New Zealand traders, had been sunk. He men-,. ■ tioncd that ho could not help tninkin?: that tho news as to the diversion of fivs steamers would bo good news for the; Meat Trusts. He believed that, at the, timo there' would 2,000,000 freight carcasses in the Dominion meat stores, and, ! he expressed the opinion that very strenuous efforts should he niado. to avoid, the hardship which was proposed to be inflicted upon tho loyal citizens of New, Zealand. He also wrote to the Bight Hon. Walter H. Long, Secretary of State for tho Colonies, and said, inter alia, that a very important point in connection with this unfair treatment to Newj Zealand was the fact ..that, the Imperial!. Government had ... requisitioned ' "tho " whole of the Dominion 1 output of; frozen meat . until .the ond ofi| the war. If adequate facilities were nofci provided for bringing tho meat away the! citizens of the Dominion would naturally;! consider that what was tantamount to aj breach of faith was being committed.: Ho>. drew attention to the fact that added' to the list of New Zealand ships lost: wore tho Tongariro and a largo steamer wrecked near Capo Town. .;, Six Joseph Maclay replied: "However., formidable the results of. these diversions' to the people of New Zealand, I cannotj conceive ot them holding the Government;, guilty of ingratitude, because it has-been';'. ; compelled to take'the only" steps which! would adequately secure the Army's; meat'; 6upply." . .'■ .' ....''. Air. Massey on April 17 wrote.to the.;. Controller, ot Shipping conveying cabled;.; information as to the acute =positdon ini- ■ New Zealand, and: stressing. tho import-L. ance of avoiding a serious dislocation ot;" New Zealand's frozen meat industry.. .•;.: Sir Joseph Maclay replied the Mowing. day that the matter.wuuld again.be'gone;.: iiito -carefully to. see iilthc. position .could: :. not be improved. Mr. Massey ion";'Aprili ; l9.'. TOoto.:tQL , 'Mr::'.; Long explaining that the meat was not ■■ paid for until" it was placed on board; ship, and that tho Imperial Government; paid for'its storage. until shipment took--' place, so that both "countries wero interested in tho financial aspect of tho mattor.. - . , , , Mr. Long roplied that he had already , written, to the Shipping Controller, pressing him to do all in his power to find a. - few ships for New Zealand. ' The Shipping Controller a few days;, later also wrote to Mr. Massey, stating;, ho had afraid thcro was no hope of any: \ deoisivo relief in the near ..future, but,, that everything possible was being done:; to relievo tho .situation. ~ Mr. Walter Long again wrote to. Sir..* Massey, emphasising that tho position, with regurd to food was so critical that the only possiblo policy,was to get tho. necessary food and corn to the Old Country as speedily as possible. This jas-j tho justification for the preference"given., to South American meat.suppliers oil ac-;: count of the quicker-voyages,, which; meant doubling tho amount of imports with the same amount «-'SWPPing..It was really a question whether the food supply at the front; was to bo imperillei He suggested that this should oTpSfita out to the .New Zealand We, who, ho felt certain, would cheerfully accept the sacrifice like every other sacrifice Hiey had been called upon to Mav M Sir Joseph Maclay wrote to ' Mr Massey assuring him that New Zealand first'and second priority cargo must • rateably receivo the same reservation ot-. spaoo in ships proceeding via Australa. a* Australian cargo of si-iwlav grade. «3, to tho acute congestion in tho Dominioii meat stores, ho was- sorry he could not hold any subs anhnl. prospect of relief.. Ho added: "Tho plain fact is that tho, situation in regard to the. supply orton:. nago must got: worso beforo it gcU oot-Wr, and that further inroads must lnimeniv aiely be made on the Heels- trading to Australasia in order to provide for lm- . peralivo national needs ncarci■ homj. These''steps nro ta.ken with tho greatest possiblo regret and reluctance, and. L should like io pay my tribute .k tte■ m rerulting eloquence and forco with which vou have kept l«;foro us the hardships resell ing to N™ Zealand and the ap-.. which we all fee here for the . uvalunblo, information with which you have always kept us furnished H awIhiu" could heighten our sense of! tne e vfces which New Zeal.an Oas, rendorer, )o tho common cause, it would be the cheerful readiness with which the people oFUie Dominion havo acquiesced in these further sacrifices."