SOME CANDID COMMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 May 1920, Page 5

SOME CANDID COMMENT.

BY HIGH COMMISSIONER. CONGESTION o7~MEAT SUPPLIES: SOMEONfTto BLAME. When lunching with Queensland's new Agent-General, Jbe Hon. J. McEwan Hunter, at the British Empire Club, recently, says the special reporter of 'The Financier, I had the pleasure of a brief chat with the Hon. Sir T. Mackenzie, who was entertaining his old friend, Mr H. L. Roseley, one of Bristol's bestknown commercial men, who has been prominently identified with the movements for promoting- direct trade between that port and the British Dominions.

Sir Thomas 'informed me that he was retiring from the High Commissionership of New Zealand and would be leaving London for the Dominion in August. His departure will be very keenly regretted. During his eish't years of office he has been the life and Boul of New Zealand in this country. He has worked hard to promote the best interests of the Dominion, of which he has been Prime Minister, has travelled extensively over the United Kingdom, and delivered innumerable addresses, and has been instrumental in making the resources of the country more widely known among all classes of the community. PATRIOTIC WORK. His patriotic work during the war will ever be remembered. He made the welfare and comfort of the men of the New Zealand contingent his special study, and his care for the sick and wounded has earned for him imperishable fame. His own son, Clutha, it will be remembered, was blinded in the war, and this sad affliction brought home to him with pathetic intensity the sufferings of others, which he strove hard to alleviate by every possible means. For a time lie took up his residence at Wal-ton-on-Thames, where the New Zealand Hospital was established, and with Lady and the Misses Mackenzie was almost in daily attendance, ministering io the requirements of the patients. In political, commercial and financial circles here he has made a host of friends, and the experience lie has gained during his term of office, which has been extended again and again for brief periods, cannot fail to be of the utmost possible value to him should he return to political life. The producers of the Dominion, and they are the people who count, have had no greater champion of their interests in the Mother Country, and the valued services Sir Thomas has rendered to New Zealand generally wil! ensure for him an enthusiastic reception on his return to his adopted country.

THE CONGESTION AT THE DOCKS. In view of the grievance of importers in connection with the congestion at the docks, and the criticisms which have been levelled at the Port of London Authority, it was a happy idea on the part of the directorate of that bodyto invite the High Commisisoners and Agents-General to pay a visit to the Victoria and Albert Docks on Friday and judge for themselves of the present condition of affairs and the improvements that have been made to meet the ever-growing trade of the port. It was explained by Captain Hamilton Bonn, on the part of the Port of London Authority, that at the present time there were 800,000 tons of merchandise stored at the docks, as against 400,000 tons before the war. That would not have been possible but for the extensions, and in regard to cold Storage accommodation, that had been increased from about 800,000 carcases to a further 700,000 or SOO,OOO. The only conclusion to be drawn from this statement is that difficulty has been experienced in getting the produce away from the docks, which only goes to show that the suggested deep-water wharves at Gravesend and Canvey Island, which would be in direct rail communication on the one side with the counties of Kent, Surrey, and Sussex, and on the other with the Eastern Counties and North of England, would be of the greatest possible assistance in relieving the constantly increasing traffic to the Port of London. "SOMEONE TO BLAME." Sir Thomas Mackenzie, High Commissioner for New Zealand, in responding to the toast of the visitors at the luncheon, without blaming the Port of London Authority, insisted that someone was responsible for the congestion of the meat supplies in this country. Large quantities of New ZealaM meat were on the way to the United Kingdom, and these would create further accumulations. Clearly, the cold storage accommodation in this country was quite inadequate, and something would have to be done if this meat was not to be lost to the nation. Sir Thomas was quite at a loss to understand why the public were not permitted to enjoy cheaper meat while there were such ample supplies, in view of the Very low prices at which it was sold by New Zealand to the Imperial Government. The carrying trade of New Zealand was suffering by reason of the ships being triable to discharge their cargoes, a state of things which Sir Thomas held was quite unfair to the Dominion. It is not meat alone that is being held np, but butter, cheese, and other produce, and I would add that it is manifestly unfair to the British public that they should be deprived of the opportunity of obtaining this produce at reasonable rates. The Australian fruit season is now commencing, and it will go hard with the importers of Australian and Tasmanian apples if there is no relief in the congestion at the dock-, during the next two or three month*