SHORTAGE OF SHIPPING.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 April 1916, Page 4

SHORTAGE OF SHIPPING.

The time appears to have arrived when the shortage oF shipping has reached a crisis that must be met and overcome if the trade of the Empire is to be saved from a breakdown. Already the burden of excessive freights is pressing very severely on all nations, for it is tlie communities that, in the end, have to bear the burden. This morning's cable news indicates that the British Government is considering the Question

of employing enemy ships now sheltering in neutral ports. This would certainly bo a practical method of meeting the demand for overseas transport of merchandise, but, as Lord Robert Cecil pointed out, the neutral Governments must first decide, and as they are suffering from the wastage caused by the ruthless destruction of merchantmen, they ought to be only too willing to agree tc utilise enemy ships that are lying idle. Mr. Houston, a prominent shipowner, considers that the shipping shortage threatens to create Britain's most serious problem of the war, owin» to the fact that not only does the price of foodstuffs depend thereon, but the more serious matter of a possible deficiency in the supply. He stresses the enormous losses of ships during the war, and suggests the release of all ships which are not needed for national requirements. Moreover, he puts forward the bold proposal that for every neutral ship sunk, a German ship in neutral waters should be seized and utilised for commerce. There is probably only one consideration that would deter neutrals from adopting the sug-l gestion, and that is the fear of repri- I sals. That some drastic measures must be adopted is beyond dispute. New Zealand is feeling the shortage of shipping very acutely. The Imperial Government has asked the Dominion Government to give preference to beef and cheese, as both these exports are required by the troops, so that most of the butter in store will have to remain there for the present, a state of affairs that will materially affect the factory suppliers where butter is made. The flaxmillers are assured of remunerative prices if only they can get their fibre to the market, but the shortage of cargo space blocks the way to profitable business. All things considered, it is really marvellous how we]( the Dominion's export trade has, up to recently, been worked (luring the war, but the position has now grown acute. The number of ships ■built last year to take the place of those sunk, lost and interned, fell short of the output of 1913 by 730,000 tons, while the requirements of the Admiralty, which must necessarily be the first consideration, have increased enormously. As a consequence the gale price of any vessel to-day is abnormally high, while freights and war risks take a heavy toll on merchandise. It is imperative that the British Government should economise in their methods of using ships, so as to avoid wastage, and that no delays take place at the ports of loading and unloading. Even then there will be a shortage, so that the more the question is examined, the greater bocomes the value of the suggestion to utilise interned ships, and it is to be hoped that some practical scheme may be formulated for materialising the proposal. .