SHIPPING SHORTAGE
POSITION IN NEW ZEALAND
VIEWS OF WELLINGTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. '
Reference to -the shipping position ,m the Dominion is made in the annual report of the council of tho Wellington Chamber of Commerce. The shipping shortage was acute until December, states tho report, but since that data, una particularly from une United Kingdom, there has been a great number'of vessels arrmng in New Zealand—in fact many of tnem carryiuti'troops have come in ' ballast— and largo'quantities of .New Zealand -produce have been lifted: 1 ••'There-is still a very serious : shortage in - vessels, having tho ■ requisite insulated ■' space' to carry frozen meat. ' Tho-eeason is drawtog to a close, but'the largo accumulation of produce ready ! for- shipment'l3 taxing * tho capacity;. of : cool .stores throughout the i>.vminion,to' the .utmost, and steamers with 'insulated 'holds are urgently wanted to.'relieve the'congestion of frozen produce; ■' ;;',' '.'' ','..'. One of the most ■ interesting aspects of tho shipping trade has been the'inoreased number of sailing Vessels'arriving in the Dominion from the 'west coast of the United States of: America'bring-, ing' cargoes of. case' oil" arid' quantities of general cargo;' : Some of.theise-ves-sels have'made' extremely smart' 'trips, and have shown.' that the; day *of the sailing vessel is by no means dver. The present position regarding this class of .uipping is the- difficulty ■■■ of" obtaining back .loading to: the United States Of America, ■ particularly 'in view" of, the falling off in the demand for' hemp: During the, past three months some vesr sels have left' New Zealand portis' with part, Cargo only_ at-low. rates of freight, and, in other cases, in ballast, return cargoes being unobtainable. ■" ;■ " ! The position of intercolonial shipping during the year has at times been critical,' and particularly from September to January. • Owing" to quarantine restrictions, ' labour troubles, and general shortage of ships, there was a large accumulation of cargo at Sydney and tlelbourne awaiting shipment' to; New Zealand ports. borne overseas ship; ping companies have refused to give through bills of lading for cargo shipped to New Zealand from Eastern ;ports, and from the United Kingdom, where ttan : shipment has had to' be' effected at'Au's-' tralian ports. It is believed that this at-itude .has been adopted 1 owing to the congestion ' of' cargo in Australian ports and the uncertainty of the amount of storage and transhipping' charges' likely to be incurred. This attitude of the shipping companies has been "a'senous one for the'New Zealand importer; as he has had to" make arrangements in Sydney for the .forwarding: of his carg<. by intercolonial steamer, has had to paj storage and transhipping charges; and; in many cases, has often, been faced with the disability that . the intercolonial steamship company has insisted upon issuing a bill of lading, stating that.the cargo is insufficiently packed, notwith standing that 'the first carrying, steamship company issued an unqualified bill of lading. This practice'on. the part oi intercolonial steamship companies has been a serious matter' for New Zealand importers when cargo has arrived in n damaged or pillaged condition, and .the pinion is almost universal in commercial circles that unfair advantage n'ae been taken. ■...,•■■
it is felt bv th© commercial community that, with the high rates of freight, which have been ruling, limitation of liability of shipping companies to £5 pel cubic foot; has been too little in view ot the fact that the general increase. in prices of commodities has .resulted in ■>ods of everyday ' use : which, in. prewar times would come-weir within tibia limitation' of- value, now being -invariably of greater value. The position :is even worse in connection with goods shipped in the United States of America, on railway through bills of lading wherein the limitation of liability is IOG dollars for any one, package. It ia realised that possibly very little can be done in New Zealand regarding improving bills of lading conditions under whicn goods are carried, as, in the base of all our imports, the. contract. of carriage is not made in New Zealand, and New Zealand legislation does not affect such contracts. ,
Up to idle time of the Armistice there was a considerable .accumulation of wool in stores throughout New Zealand. The bulk of the 1017-18 clip was still. urishiped and the new season's wool was coming into store. The situation looked a difficult one, and. it-was feared that a considerable quantity would have to remain in the conntrv. in the hands of growers, which'would consequently not be paid, tor by tne Imperial .Government. However. the improved shipping outlook since the Armistice baa cleared the position, and, the last of tlhe 1917-18 clip was got away in January-February this year, and a good quantity of the now clip, has also been removed to America ,and the -. inted Kingdom, and, the outlook is, for clear stores for the next season's cUp.
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New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10277, 12 May 1919, Page 10
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793SHIPPING SHORTAGE New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10277, 12 May 1919, Page 10
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