SHIPPING OUR PRODUCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 109, 1 October 1914, Page 8

SHIPPING OUR PRODUCE.

THUS PREMIER OPTMIBriO. STEAMERS ALMOST CMRTAIN TO BE AVAILABLH. By Telegraph.--Pr»i Aaaoeiation. Wellington, L«»t Night.

lion. Massey stated in the House toright that as some doubt appeared to exist as to whether tho produce of the Dominion could be got away in good tim«, be desired to mako a statement on tho subject. Ia October of last j ear we had two ships leaving, and th's year wo would have throe. In November of last year three ships left, and this year fire would be sailing. In December last, five ships left, anil five would leave this year, bo that up, to Duceutber we would have throe more shipu available than we had last year. He hail cabled to the Imperial a/u-bhori-tles to release the transports at the earliest possible moment. He had also cabled to the shipping companies, stating that he would bo prepared to meet Ihem in a reasonable way if it were necessary to send any of their ships back in ballast. The position had been rendered somewhat rnoro litringrait bv the fact that the Imperial Government 1 ad commandeered one of our regular ships, the Muritai, to carry frozen meat to the troops at the front. lie had also asked that this Teasel lie allowed to return to New Zealand as aoon as possible. Coming to fch-o shipping available next year, tho Premier stated that i> 'amiary and February last year eighteen ships sailed. This year, in the same montihs, there were fourteen in sight, including the Muritai. So -far as the transports wero concerned, ho was confident that they would bo back in time to talco cargo in the ordinary way before tho end of February. It won" thus be seen that the Government had done everything possible to meet tho difficulty. Ho was confident that there was no room for anxiety to the possibility of getting our produce away. Sir Joseph Ward said that if the Premier wore gaiugin# next October by the same month last year, ho was afraid ho would finil himself gjreatly mistaken. It was his opinion that this season wa& goira? to be a- big one for all parts of the Dominion, lie did not doubt that the Premier was doing his fbest, but be did not believe that even the shipping companies were able to meet the requirements of New Zealand trade. If there were iplonty of shipa available, why wag one company building eight new ships? That was bocaufio they found that even with tho ships now employed as transports they could not cope wiih tho trade, and he did not believe the difficulty was goinw to be got ovor in the way the Premier sugRested. At leant, there oug'ht to bo a fair allocation of freezing space amongst Hie different ports, so that one district would aiot profit at tho expense of another.

Kir W. C. Buchanan, while agreeing, said he could not rely too implicitly on last year's figures as a guide to this year's trade, and pointed' out that up to December this year there will be 14 steamers, as against ten last year, Mr. Afassiiy, replying, siiid lie was trw. pared to take strong steps to get shin* for o'ir trade, even to the length of commandeering some of the ships going to New York.

The Premier later announced that tho Government had been able to get more ships: Tho Kaikoura next month, tho Buteshire in November, and a ship in January and February.