MEAT EXPORT PROBLEM.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 35, 10 February 1920, Page 5

MEAT EXPORT PROBLEM.

LOCAL STORES FULL. WHOLE FUTUKe' XOT DARK. Asked lor his opir.ion on iir. 3laesey's published remarks upon the meat export dillicultv, .Mr. J. Ainbiur, managing director of the Auckland farmers' Freezing Co., said that the Prime Minister's statements deserved attention because he knew more about the Imperial Government's doings than any of the exporters. There was no doiibt that the situation at Home was serious. A letter received only this morning from London stated that the congestion of goods extended beyond the docks and stores to the railways, and that goods took anything up to a month to reach their destinations, after passing into the hands of the railway people. "So far as I can see, our meat must:be travelling by motor, not iby train," he added. The main reason why meat was accumulating in Britain, Jlr. Ainbury considered, "was that there was no chajice of getting rid of accumulated war stocks Jy shiprgig to the Continent so long as foreign exchanges were in their present .confused state. Central Europe badly needed meat, but witli the exchange so very much against them, the inhabitants could not alford to buy meat from Britain in any quantity.

Regarding the cessation of the Imperial Government's purchase contract, .Mr. Ambury said that he had few fears 'about a lack of refrigerated ships wiien the contract ended in July. Tonnage was increasing more rapidly than exports, and there was no reason to think that the Imperial Government would treat Xew Zealand less fairly than it had in the past. He thought that Mr. .Massey's suggestion that a deliberate effort was being made to create friction 'between the Sew Zealand, producers and the Imperial Government was rather far-fetched.

Il only the immediate troubles could be got over the'future was safe enough, but now the local cold stores were all full, and unless ."iO.OOO boxes of butter were got away in a few days, as arranged, killing would bave to cease, and a large proportion of tlie hands thrown out of employment, while for the same reason —lack of space—the dairy factories would have to be told to fonvard no more butter for storage.