STATEMENT REFUTED

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 88, 14 April 1945, Page 10

STATEMENT REFUTED

ALLEGED WASTE OF FOOD

STATEMENT BY MINISTER

P.A. WELLINGTON, this day. Replying to statements made by Mr. J. J. Maher when addressing a meeting of National party members at Upper H'utt to the effect that it was freely stated in Wellington that good food was being put into the digestors in freezing works because there was insufficient labour to save it, the Minister of Industrial Manpower, Mr. McLagan, stated to-day that investigations at freezing works in the Wellington district had shown that there was absolutely no justification for these allegations.

Any suggestion that there had been any wastage of foodstuffs was strongly refuted by the manager of one of the works concerned, said the Minister, and while it had not been' possible to obtain any definite information in respect of the other freezing works, if there had been any wastage this could not possibly be attributed to a shortage of labour, in that this particular company, on February 24 last year, made application to the district manpower officer for permission to dispense with 11 men, and further applications had been lodged during the current week for permission to dispense with a further 30 workers within the next few days.

"The acting-Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Poison, has also made some reference to this matter, in which he states that he has been informed that such food as tripe, skirts, sweetbreads and brains, amounting probably to 1000 tons, has been put into digestors," stated the Minister. I would point out that freezing works have been accorded higher priority than any other industry, and every effort has been made by manpower officers to ensure that freezing works have been adequately staffed. During the past season some difficulties have arisen owing to the fact that, in many of the works, men who have been compulsorily directed thereto have been employed short time. While this has applied more particularly in the South Island, there appears to be little doubt that, in general, freezing works have been supplied with adequate manpower, and I would be surprised to find that anv foodstuffs have been wasted owing to failure on the part of my Department to supply sufficient labour. If particulars of any cases where such wastage is occurring are supplied to my Department, the matter will be immediately investigated. The steps that have been taken to augment the labour supply in the Auckland freezing works have been made known through the Press, and Mr. Poison should have been aware of what has been done, and is being done by my Department to ensure adequate labour. In the circumstances, Mr. Poison's . statement is certainly not very helpful. If such food as tripe is being converted into manure, it is most regrettable."