THE SHIPPING TROUBLE

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 145, 22 February 1915, Page 2

THE SHIPPING TROUBLE

SOME INTERESTING FIGURES. ABNORMAL INCREASES. The export of frozen meat is only second to wool in point of value, and forms j-oincv.-'-.-'l over 20 per cent, of th 3 Dominion's tv.crny-tv.'O and a half r.ulliim pounds v.crlh of exports. This ymv should see f'\'s=,eu meac occupying a higher pes t'on otill. Whatever threatens the industry is worthy of the very closest aftOEti'on £.ncl investigation. The shortage of refrigerated shipping facilities to terry the meat to the markets-of Smithfiekl i» a very vital matter. Particularly is i : vital to Canterbury, as it is likely to he more seriously affected Uiar. any other part of the Dominion, by rar.s'cn of a later season than the NVrtfc. It is assumed that a month or r-o r!» see the trouble surmounted, hut -lie "month or so" is the crux of the Munition. Stock will sutler in conseiitPiiCe, ui\6, naturally the farmer's pockets will suffer considerably.

WHERE THE BLAME IS PLACED. Shipping concerns are not philanthropic institution?, rut the letter of the Prime Minister to iho New Zealand. Shipping Company is at least plainly outspoken, and the tenor of it indicates that lie is of opinion that the company has not treated the New Zealand producer with the consideration it might have. As the company observes, it is easy to be wise after the event, and the .output of meat bas been abnormal since the season, opened. Though at present the South Island works are not .'ess favourably circumstanced than rhoso of the North, the latter are fortunate in'having their season well advanced and having' dispatched to th. 3 best market in the history of the industry full cargoes of frozen meat in a record number of ships. The immense total

'of carcases drawn from the North

promised to be eclipsed by ihi i-.-urn-em quota, but the blockage at the works will cause trouble ai! woir* to toe farmer, as well as r-vlucmg the output from Canterbury and the South Island generally this season.

When the war broke out ii was found that New Zealand importations fell erf considerably, and this scarcity of outward freights from England lu:s been given as a reason for Naw Zealand beats going to Australia. Writing in answer to this contention to the New Zealand Shipping tompanv, the Prime Minister says:

"I do not propose to traverse the reasons which you havo advanced for diverting the sev-?nl siMUio'i y J'J name, to trade no Dv.iuion. except to say that fi'-m the United K< tg-) n lad i >mi off. as alleged, as tn-a cutecms of Use war. and it became •lecSM'.S'.'.v f«r :lio sake of revenue to plnee them on <>'-- toher berth temporarily. I consider, in view cf the fact that your company bears the name of this country, and has for years depended upon the efforts cf the producers of New Zealand for providing dividends for the company's shareholders, that it has been lacking in consideration for the producers and the interests of this country, by net making those boats available for the trade cf New Zealand which had been leaded with outward cargo for Australia."

HUGE INCREASES. The abnormal season naturally enters into consideration of the question very largely. From October 1, 1914, to January 31, the Shaw, SavMl, and Albion Line has dispatched 11 steamers'to the Old Country as against nine in the same period a year ago. The carcases carried in these periods are as under: lfjl?M4 233,388 1914-15 604,556

The New Zealand Shipping Company carried, or will have dispatched, from October 1, 1914, to February 28, 1915, steamers freighted as under: 1910-14 405,000 carcases 1914-15 688,000 carcases

In addition tc the above, the Federal and Houlder steamers and Tyser liners have carried from October 1 to January 31, 419,826 carcases cf. mutton, 297,127 carcaees. of lamb, and 51,663 quarters of beef. These figures amply demonstrate the abnormality of the season and give some amount of weight to the shipping people's contention that it was impossible to gauge the stupendous increase in the expert of meat.

The total exports of meat for the past two years were as under: 1914-15. Mutton .... 822,404 carcases Lam b s .... 6 5 3,62 6 carea se p Beef 191,230 quarters 1913-14. lYL'jton .... 504,932 carcases Lambs .... 053„300 carcases Reef 43,440 quarters On a freight carcase basis from October 1 to January 31 of the present season, over two million carcases have been shipped, figures much in excess ;'f a similar period in any previous year. Roughly, there were £250,000 worth. of frozen meat exported from Canterbury in the months of February and March last year. It was not too much to expect this amount to bo eclipsed this year, and the postponement of this realisation of Canterbury's products will necessarily have some effect upon commercial conditions. Industrially the cessation of "he works wi'i have an influence upon the labour market that will be felt if the trouble is not quickly got over.

WHERE LOSS WILL O'CI'JL It will bs ir the wastage of the fat stock that would haw gene through the works in the noyt hk nth where the loss will be heaviest. The fact that during- the past mouth muc.i o? the stock that has gene through tho uaJeyards has not been iip to standard indicates that feed Is short, and of late there' were pens if Ir.in'w that were commencing to go back when marketed. This will rrociud J "farmers from purchasing stors sheep, and the farmers' last line nf defenea "n the way of feed —the turnip crops —will have to be- resorted to much earner than usual. Recognising tint the s:ore sheep market will be soriousiy affect-c-d, several of the big storo sheep fairs which arc usually hold at the c-vul of February and March Inwe already been postponed until iAt-ar dates.

A SILVER LINING. Every cloud is said to have ;l silver lining, and probably the effect of the regrettable circumstances will ultimately have a beneficial e'Yec up:n the province. It has long been evident that the best ewe lambs wore net kept for breeding purposes. Many thinking farmrs have looked to the law of sapply and demand to remedy the evil, but this method has been slow in working. The record prices ruling at Addington only a week ago—6';d per lb fcr lamb —would assuredly have Invd farmers to send even .more lambi to the freezing chamber. Though the immediate cash return will not be so great ,the holding back of the lambs no doubt will cause a greater number of ewes to be retained and the retention of Canterburybred sheep within the province, instead of relying upon the outside grown stores to make up the deficiency, could only have the effect of raising the standa-1 of the flock. The rushing of trie works with stock lias dens a great daal to clean the rubbish out of the province; particularly is this so in regard to beef, many of the cattle slaughtered to satisfy the special demand for beef for the army being of a particularly secondary character. In some respects 'lie closing of the works may turn our I blc ssing in disguise sc far as the farmer is concerned.