The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1919. SHIPPING SHORTAGE DEPUTATION.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3316, 21 October 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1919. SHIPPING SHORTAGE DEPUTATION.

With whi-clh wiis inoorporated “The Taihape Post and Waimarino ' N-er~w=.”

Th.e report of a; deputation to the Prime Min'=ist<er, published yesterday, furnishes another chapteriin the history of New Zealand farmers’ shipping shortage. The reply by Mr Massey to Sir James Wilson contained nothing but cold comfort, not even a. gleam of hop.e for anything better could be taken troni what he had ;to oifer. The depu-' 'tati'on -app'o'i*nt'ed by the Council of Agriculture, wantedto know what was beirrg "done to put shipping companies on the basis of, common carriers. Sir James 'Wilson,.the spokesman, said sh'ip.pin'g company contracts entirely prevented competition, which, it seemed to ‘him, came under-the law dealing with restraint of trade. i It should not be permitted to" continue, as it prevented any local compahy from enter-y ing into competition. Of course, if producers generally would combine for the purpose of forming a shipping company this country might be safe for a time -at least. Sir James stated that there -was the possibility of a new shipping. ‘company starting, and he suggested that all menace to its possible success should be removed. VVe wonder whether farmers really think that they would be any.more secure with ashipping company of which Sir James VVilson Was‘ the directing factoi‘, than they were ’wit.tL those two companies that soldtlieinselves to the shipping combine; sold the ships and trade that New Zealand made possible, that New Zealand protection helped themto get. Gold would buy any-private shipping company "in these days of exploitation and robbery, and -Sir James Wilson’s company would prove no exception, ‘however patriotic he might be to the ‘little country that made him rich. The deputation told Mr Massey that the first thing to be done was to ascertain what the shipping policy of the Imperial Government was likely to be, assuming that ‘it had ‘no policy at present. If there was nothing to be got from them, the shipping people might be approached to find what their intentions were. Can the scene be imagined of Sir James Vvilson interviewing :the men who head tiie. shipping combine to ascertain what they are going to do? Sad experience convinces us that there is nothing to be learned from the combine, only as it evcntuates. Sir James and his deputation may rest assured that the combine will do anything that leads to the most outrageous robbery. So long as our fooling about with shipping continues, so most assuredly is the combine preparing to skin New Zealand producers. If everything else fails, then the Government. should charter vessels, but Mr Massey told the deputation precisely what we stated in these columns on ‘Saturday ——there are no insulated ships to charter. Witli the deputation ’s suggestion that the British Government should first be consulted. then. in case of failure, the shipping people--the combine—should be interviewed. Mr Massey entirely agreed. He did not Say What should be the next step, it‘ nothing sa.tisfaetor_v could be extracted from‘ the combine, and that is just what farmers are so very anxious to immv. In fact, Mr Massey plainly stated they “'ol‘o the only two“ things to be done. ibut 33 <-‘Very sensible person knows "_"h°l'o is not an ounce of satisfaction ti" °ith°l'- it is the third course tha"r. 'ls to be taken. It may he that :21" |i%efol'lll interviewers and interviewed lntenfl that the <'.ountr_v shall subsidise a. private shipping line which," as Sir Jim“-‘S Wilsml stated, may be started. We Cannot‘ believe that after being sold twice. the people of these islands will ‘W9IS 32.3111 trust themselves toprivate companies. When it gsluitk.-d rp'riv.at.e companies they Sold theircountry as “"‘_3n 33 _-111011‘. Ships .iau'd their consciences‘ to the combine devil, and future private companies would (16

sinlil.al']y= if opportunity presented. The 1 large body of producers and the Whole of the people of this country realise the situation, and they see not possible means of escaping from trust and combine claws except by having ships of their own, 12'... State shipping line, that will always be available for taking produce to that market of the World where the most will Be paid for it; a line that will take meat to where six shillings a pound -can be got for it, not 3 line that will stack it in British stores at fouwx-prance-hrrlfpenny. State ships will be moved always in the interests of the producers, privately-own ships will be used, as they ever have been in the past, to fleece the producers. For years before the war shipping companies took the last penny from producers, only leaving sufficicm to induce and enable them to go on shipping, which means discouragement of production; St-ate ‘ships would be run at a. minimum of profit, enabling producers to receive what sh=oul=d just-l ly come to them. Sir Joseph Ward, the Hon. \V. D, S. MacDonald, and the leaders of Liberalism have long ago seen that the farming industry has the shipping combine octopus, as well as ‘the meat trust, at its throat, and they are satisfied that the 'Only means of killing both at one blow is by the establishment of a State line of ships. The deprrtation has all the appearance of nothing more than wasteful l9ypla}' as no proposal for bettering the future :01? producers was mentioned, beyond ~what we have above discussed. S’ } Walter Buchanan, who recently rctuy-«

ed from a. trip across Anler'ie'a, was one of the deputation, but his few very brief remarks did not seem to fit in with thaviews of ‘either Mr Massey or Sir James Wilson. He had seen and experienced what the meat trust was, and what it was doing. He had found that the trust was making 66:} per cent on the stock sold in their yards; that a profit of over 73 per cent was made on hay fed to -cattle in yards; that cattle and hogs dying on the road -were taken to their meta-it works «and returned a profit of from 73 per cent ‘to 80 per cent, the latter being in .1918. Mr Buch anan relates instances" of the most criminal bl:a'cl:rna'il, boldly practised by the trust. .Thcy ‘Went to several municipalities and thfeaftened to remove their stock yard.s ifaniounts ranging from £IOO,OOO to £193,000 were not paid over to them. Sir Walter Buchanan has become possessed of mortal fear of trusts and combines, and what he has learned, and publicly stated from his place in the Legislative Council is of such ‘Vital import that we purpose publishing his remarks thereon in full, and if they do not warn producers of shipping combines and ineat trusts, New Zealand is indeed in a bad way.