FREIGHT FAMINE.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 290, 6 July 1917, Page 4 (Supplement)

FREIGHT FAMINE.

DIFFICULTIES OK SHIPPING. INTERESTING TO PRODUCERS. THE GOVERNMENT'S HARD TASK. Speaking at the A. and P. smoke eoncert at Palmerston North recentlv the Hon. \Y. 1). s. Maedonald (Minister for Agriculture) had .something to say about the freight famine. Ho said :

One of the groat difficulties at the present time was shipping. A great deal had been said about the apathy of tlii- Government in providing transport, but he nud tiie Ministers who had-boon at Home had done a;l they possibly could do in urging on the Imperial Government to provide the ships. One of the hardest things a Government had to face «as that while being criticised for doing nothing, it could not blazon forth to the world the arangemonts that were being made for such and such a ship to come to New Zealand to carry produce. They were trying as far as possible to produce the mve.-sary transport. (Hear, hear.) What really was the position? There had been (ii) refrigerated ships belonging to four large companies (excluding the Union S.S.) trading to New Zealaud. Eight had been requisitioned bv the Imperial Government, nine had been sunk by the enemy, one was blown up, one wrecked and another was on lire. Tims 21 had been lost, and theor were really only '2O left for New Zealand. S'xtccn vessels had been arranged for horn Australia, showing that the Government was doing nil it possibly could. It had btwii stated that the combines had got at fefcc Briti.su Board of Trade to divert some of our ships. But all that had happened wa.s that some of the ships had to wait some day's for the re. turn cargoes, and they were then sent to franco or across the Atlantic to carry foodstuffs. Tho British Government iiad to do everything possible to provide food for the millions of men lighting for the Empire—"fighting for you and me." (Applause.) Tho Minister said he had tried to let the Imperial Government know the importance of clearing our cool stores, otherwise the country's production would 1)0 curtailed. There nad been_ a good deal of negotiation recently in connection with the shipping of butter and chee<c, but he was not in a position to tell what arrangecmnts had been come to.