HEMP FREIGHTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1098, 17 May 1913, Page 2

HEMP FREIGHTS.

DEPUTATION-TO PRIME MINISTER.

The high freights now being charged on all produce outwards , from New Zealand to London were discussed by a deputation of ’ Manawatu flaxmillers which waited upon the Prime Minister on Thursday. The deputation was introduced by Mr D, Buick, M.P.

Mr K. L. Broad said the deputation had not come to beg favours of the Government, but merely to offer a suggestion, which, if adopted, might assist the flax industry. A year ago the shipping companies were charging 455. per ton freight on flax exported to London. That rate had been increased to 505., then to 755., and now they had been advised that after July 1 it would be 85s. The deputation would suggest that the Government, which subsidised services to Vancouver, San Francisco, and Sydney, should insist on a clause being inserted in every agreement concerning a subsidy fixing a maximum rate of freight. Mr Massey; But unfortunately your difficulty is not with those companies, but with those trading to London. Mr Broad: That is so, but there is a possibility of developing a trade with Vancouver. In order to make this possible, he suggested that the Vancouver boats ought to be required to call at Wellington. The freight on flax from Wellington to Auckland was 255. per ton, and this gave Auckland millers a great advantage in competing for the Vancouver trade.

Other members of the deputation made complaint about the enormous increase in the freight from 455. to 855., saying that such a huge increase iu one year bred a feeling of insecurity amongst producers. They did net know where the increase was going to stop. The Prime Minister said members of the deputation undoubtedly had a grievance, but unfortunately the Government was not able to do much at present to remedy it. The Government expended a total of about ,£55,000. per year in subsidies to lines of steamers to Vancouver, San Francisco, and Sydney. He was not sure about the Sydney freights, but with regard to the other two runs,, the agreements with the shipping companies fixed the maximum freight charges on certain ordinary products. No subsidies were paid to. the owners of the steamers trading to England. It must be admitted that part of the present extraordinarily high freights were due to the increased cost of ships, and the shortage of vessels to cope with the world’s increasing trade, but if this sort of thing were to go on there would soon spring up in this country, as in Australia, an agitation for State-owned steamers. He hoped that it would never be necessary for the Government to come to the assistance of exporters, but if the time should come when the exporters needed protection against extortionate charges, the Government would not shirk its responsibilities. With regard to the suggestion that Wellington should be made a port of call for the Vancouver steamers, he explained that the New Zealand Government was not the only Government interested in that service, and the present arrangements could not, therefore, be disturbed for some time yet.