SPACE FOR MEAT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 16, 19 January 1916, Page 7

SPACE FOR MEAT.

QUESTION OF SHIPPING ALLOTMENTS. FREEZING COMPANY SECRETARY EXPLAINS. In connection with the misunderstanding which has arisen between officials of j the Auckland Freezing Company and of i the Farmers' Union regarding space allotments for the shipment of meat, iir. D. Long, secretary of the Freezing Company, writes, asking to be permitted to put matters in their true light. '• The figures you published in an interview with Mr. Schmitt," he writes, '"wers, as he says, supplied by mc, and were quite correct. They were given to himself and the ex-president of the Farmers' Union for the purpose of enabling the Farmers' Union, at the Freezing Company's suggestion, to secure the assistance of the Premier to obtain for Auckland its fair proportion of the refrigerated space available in the Dominion during the next few months. The tijr- 4 ure3 were supplied to Mr. Schmitt on Friday last, and on the same afternoon telegrams came to hand from the Premier and the chairman of the Overseas Shipowners' Committee to the effect that relief would be given by loading some of tbo February allotment before tho ! end of January. The necessity for closI ing the Southdown works on the 25th inst., therefore disappeared. Needless to say, the interview published on Saturday • last took mc completely by surprised and in the face of the advices promising relief before the end of January, which were received on th previous day, I had no hesitation in saying that the interview published in good faith by the " Star" was misleading, also unauthorised, inasmuch as the figures I supplied were received on the previous day, I had dicated, and not for the Press. I might further mention that on Friday and Saturday I declined to supply information to the Press, but full particulars concerning the position would have been given at the proper time."