ARMY SUPPLIES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 17, 20 January 1916, Page 7

ARMY SUPPLIES.

• i I WHAT NEW ZEALAND IS DOING, i (By T-slegraph.—Special to "Star.") WELLINGTON, this day. j An idea of the amount of work done i by New Zealand in providing supplies for tho British and allied armies is obtainable from a record of business transacted by the Imperial meat supply branch established by the New Zealand Government to control tho purchase and export of meat for tbe Roard of Trade. This department now deals with frozen meat, cheese, and tungsten ores. The Dominion provides supplies in other linos than these, but these nre requisitioned locally. Up to the present shipments of meat have been made as follow: 420.38S quarters beef, 2,555,460 carcases mutton, 3,245.729 carcases lamb. Payments amounted to £6,380.205. Seven steamers—the Limerick, Corinthic, Ruahine, Paparoa, Nerehana, Pakeha, and Indrabarah—arc now loading at New Zealand ports, 13 others are on their way Home, and 53 have arrived at their destinations. (In the sth January it Was estimated that the meat in store in the Dominion amounted to 656,560 freight carcases. Eight steamers, with a total capacity of 794,000 freight carcases, arc expected for loading in February, and nine, with a. capacity of 929,000 carcases, in March. Many works have provided increased storage since last season, so that no congestion of works is anticipsted. Cheese shipments totalling 50,464 crates have been made up to- the prfasent, the value being £244,286. The Department deals with 270 dairy companies, which arc required to assist in filling Government orders of 15/100 tons, in proportion to their capacity. Approximately a-quartcr of the whole order has been sent forward so far. Payment for ' meat and cbecse is a simple mutter, the rate being fixed on a basis easily determined. With Tungsten ores the position is not so simple. New Zealand's output of the ore scheelite is about thirty tons a month. Before wa» most of it went to Germany, British manufacturers of hig-h----grade steels obtaining their supplies of tungsten from that country. Now Great Britain has plants established for the treatment of tungsten ores, and is procuring supplies from all parts of the Empire. Payment is at the rate of 55/----per unit of tungstic acid when scheelite contains 65 per cent or more-; threepence less per unit is paid for the ore showing less than 65 per cent down to 60 units. Below 60 units standard ore is not accepted. But none has yet failed to come up to standard. A trial analysis is made by the Mines Department before ore is shipped. On this basis advances are made to miners, who are mostly prospectors in a small way. Final analysis, for the purpose of final payment, is made by the Imperial Government. Up to the present 66 tons 13cwt of scheelite, valued at £13,516, has been shipped.