SHIPPING SHORTAGE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 151, 21 March 1919, Page 4

SHIPPING SHORTAGE

THE GOVERNMENT'S REPEESENTATIONS. "Owing to the epidemic and to lakror troubles in the United Kingdom the shinping thr.t we expected to have here to load New Zealand produce has been seriously delayed," said the Hon. D. H. Guthrie, Minister in Charge of the Imperial Supplies Department, to a Dominion reporter yesterday. Mr. Guthie lias just returned from a visit to northern districts. -where many requests were made to him by representatives of the freezing companies and the farmers to press for an increased supply of refrigerated tonnage. "It does not appeir that we are goixif? to set much relief for some little time to come," added the Minister. "That there will be ample shipping in the course of a month or so there is 110 doubt. We have cabled 1o Mr. Massey anil the Imperial authorities strain asking them to relieve the shipping shortage here if it is at all possible. _We •have pointed out the very serious position in which the farmers are placed owin? to the lack of insulated tonnage. We have also'asked for a redistribution of the Australasian tonnage in favour of New Zealand. But no replies have yet been received to any of these messages. -The Minister added that tho Government was trvinjr to set definite information as to the ■ distribution of shipping between New Zealand and Australia, but it had not yet succeeded in Retting exact figm»s <w to tannage and exports and bo cimld not make authoritative comparison*. - '