SOUTHLAND PROTEST.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLIV, Issue 10092, 17 April 1924, Page 5

SOUTHLAND PROTEST.

ASHBURTON'S ALLEGATIONS.

USE OF CANTERBURY BRAND

INVER CAR GILL, April 15

A "Southland Times" reporter interviewed a number of commercial men and farmers in, regard to the serious allegations made in respect, of Southland lamb at a meeting of the Mid-Canterbury Provincial Executive of the Farmers'- Union. Although most of those who were approached on the matter were inclined to be reticent, in. view of the likelihood of action being taken in the near future to dispose of the contentions made, the consensus of opinion was that many of the assertions made about the quality of the {southland article were positively ridiculous, and that Southland lamb could compare with the best in the Dominion. A. ' representative of a local freezing company stated that the Government Meat Board's supervising inspector hacT-assured him that the lamb going north was quite on a par with what was killed in Canterbury and Otago. The' aim of the Meat Board throughout was for a uniform grading, and the inspector approved of the grading in Southland just as he did of the grading in the north. The fact of representatives ot northern companies coming down to secure Southland lamb showed . that they must consider it on a par with the quality they themselves produced, or nearly so at all events. A prominent farmer, who was communicated with by telephone, said he! was greatly surprised at the attitudes . of the Mid-Canterbury Provincial Ex-,j ecutive. It looked as if they were casting a reflection on the .grader. > It the grader put Southland lamb on the same grade as Canterbury, why should it not bring the same price? Evidently freezing buyers from the north thought it was as good as Canterbury, as they were prepared to come down and buy it and give concessions mto the bargain. A well-known business man expressed the opinion that the quality -ot Southland lamb this year, was better than for many years, and he thought over a general average, that it would be even better than Canterbury this vear, considering the splendid season Southland had had, and the drought conditions that had been in evidence in the north. This was proved by the fact that it was graded prime It was all bunkum to say that Southland lamb was watery and stringy. Another gentleman said that the Canterbury farmers could not blame the Southland farmer for taking ■& H<rcr« r orice than he could get in his nwn province. It wss nonsense to re•fe* tr, Fu/dish grasses in Canterbury a* m.'Hn'o; the d/(Terence between qorthiflnd and Canterbury lamb, bemuse Southland had more English ~r fl. ^G , : r , er sonare mile than any other rv-'-fc of New He thought the

mnson for the present agitation in Oanterburv was the amount of lamb that had been sent north from (Southland this year, which was considerably more than usual, and which was alarming the Canterbury producer.

BUILDING TRADE'CRISIS. LONDON, April 16. A crisis in the building trade, affecting 700,000 workers, is. threatened The men arc demanding increased wages of 2d an hour. The employers offered an advance of an hour. A conference of the building trades unions in London decided to -suomifc the employers' offer to a ballot.