PRODUCERS’ SHIPS.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 June 1921, Page 5

PRODUCERS’ SHIPS.

A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION. QUESTION OF CONTROL. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wanganui, Last Night. Mr. W. J. Polson, a member of the Producers’ Committee, referring to Mr. De Lautour’s remarks a ’ spokesman Of the freezing companies’ deputation to the Acting-Premier in regard to shipping, expressed astonishment at the freezing companies’ attitude. In the first place he pointed out that the freezing companies fathered a scheme drafted by Mr. De Lautour, which provided, amongst other things, for the acquisition of “suitable ships by way of charter, purchase or construction”, such ships to be controlled by a shipping board. The differences between Mr, De Lautour’s scheme and other schemes were more or less important, of course, but the main and most important difference was that the freezing companies wanted Government control and not producers’ control, half the board and the chairman to be Government nominees. “Now the point is,” added Mr. Polson, , “that Mr. Massey, in addressing a big producers’ conference at which all the freezing companies were fully represented, stated definitely that Government control was not desirable, and that such representation as it had on the board of the Bank of New Zealand would be sufficient for the Government’s purpose. The report of the Producers’ Committee to the Government is still confidential, but I may go so far as to say that the Government’s wishes in that direction have been met. The freezing companies now appear anxious to discredit the Producers’ Committee without sufficient knowledge of what that committee has done. For all the freezing companies can know to the contrary the producers’ conference may have provided machinery to allow of one on charter and the arrangement of three on contract or any other method of dealing with shipping. “I can only wonder that Mr. De Lautour has allowed himself to become the mouthpiece of the freezing companies. WHile Mr. De Lautour’s . singleness of parpose is beyond question the same cannot be said of some of the elements which make up the Association of Freezing Companies, of which he is the official mouthpiece. Some of the proprietary companies supported their shipping scheme with their tongues in their cheeks, and are now regretting it. Some of them. notably in the south, are controlled by men with shipping interests, and already there is organised opposition to a producers’ shipping line. It is unfortunate just now, when it is so necessary to pull together if vve ar? to get results.”