The Returned Ministers.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 29 June 1917, Page 3

The Returned Ministers.

Auckland wires of the 25th inst report *be arrival of Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward. They were entertained at a civic function followed by a lunchaon in the Town Hall.

During his stay at Home Mr Massey gave a good deal of time to inquiring into our maat trade and found that the American Meat Trust has control of the Argentine and also some hold over New Zealand. He considers there is no chance of shipping facilities improving until the submarine difficulty is met. Great Britain is an armed camp, and the general feeling is a determination to win the war.

Sir Joseph Ward stated that the losses by submarines have been great, bat they had only succeeded in sinking 3 per cent, of Great Britain's mercantile marine. He also gave the following interesting description of the dangers of travelling:—The war conditions bad made travelling to and from England by any route both difficult and dangerous. Both going and coming across, vessels he Had travelled on' crossed tne ocean absolutely without lights, not even navigation lights being shown. He described this as somewhat uncanny, as. apart from the submarine and floating mine dangers, there was the added clanger of collision. A vessel left an English port of departure after nightfall, and ordinary passengers did not know antil they were on board the name of the vessel on which they were to make the journey. In the majority of cases the passengers are told to travel by some special train from a central rajlway station, and they do not even know the port of embarkation. Once en board, they often remain in port or out in the stream for Beveral days, perhaps a week, and no communication is allowed with the shore—this being done, of course, to prevent information drifting to the enemy. "Wa passed right through the danger zone," he continued, "and some idea of the real danger may be gleaned from the fact that an 8000-ton vessel which we passed the first day out, at about noon, going in the same direction as our ship, was torpedoed shortly after we passed her. Another phase is that of the lifebelt. Every passenger is compelled to wear a lifebelt throughout the whole trip across, and it is rather an interesting sight to see passengers filing into the saloun for meals with lifebelts in their bands. They are carried about just in the same way as a hat, and the passengers are never without their belt; and so danger is being constantly impressed upon them, j The boats are all swung out and ready ' to be immediately lowered. It will be understood, therefore, precaution is being everywhere taken in regard to"possible accident."