DEFENCE EXPENDITURE COMMISSION.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 April 1918, Page 4

DEFENCE EXPENDITURE COMMISSION.

ECONOMIC USB or CHARTERED STEAMERS. By '1 elegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, April 22. •Mr. Jas. Findlay, the New Zealand representative of Shaw Savill and Company, and chairman of the New Zealand Overseas Whipowners' ' Committee, giv- ■ ing evidence before the Defencd Expenditure Commisbion to-day, said that during the past" two years ten ships had been despatched in .ballast from the United Kingdom for the dual purpose of j relieving our freezing works and of feeding the Army and Home population as well as the Allies It would be seen that the bringing of outward cargo involving delay 'by such steamers was a question which sank into comparative insignificance. Through the period referred to the vessels loading in the United Kingdom were unable to obtain full outward cargoes for N6w Zealand of merchandise, and were despatched i"id ivefe still bting despatched from half to a third empty; therefore it was oLvi. ous that the line of action taken by the Imperial authorities was of .extreme advantage to the producers and the population of New Zealand, as'it gave us • opportunities for the shipment of meat, the whole of the dairy -produce, and hemp. For this the of New New Zealand owed the Imperial Goyei'nment a debt of gratitude. The Defence ' Department made the fullest economic ii9i! of its chartered steamers. Professor H. B, Kirk described the methods by which ho had succcded in coping with the fly nuisance at t:ie Featherston and Tauherenikau camps. He. suggested that a squad, 'well trained in the methods of fly prevention, should bo sent to Palestine. There was no evidence that the fly 'hart anything to rip with the spread of eerebro-spinal meningitis. It was an outrageous state of affairs that in sotno New Zealand public hospitals sereans had to he nut up to protect patients from (lies;