FAT LAMB PRICES.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18668, 17 April 1926, Page 12

FAT LAMB PRICES.

FARMERS DISSATISFIED. j REFERENCES TO COMPULSORY j ! POOL. I I" ■ i The difference between the price for j fat lambs up to 361b 'and those up to 421b was the subject of comment by members of the Mid-Canterbury Pro- ; vincial Executive of the New Zealand ; Farmers' Union, at the meeting at j Ashburton yesterday. The New Zealand Meat Producers Board wrote explaining the one price quoted on the London market for lambs up to 421b first quality, would be new season's lamb from the North Island, probably the Hawke's Bay district, and as they knew, early lainbs off their mothers from that district were usually verv light, particularly so this season, as they" had exceptionally dry weather. They would probably find that there Were very few lainbs in that shipment weighing over 301b; whereas the femithfield Canterbury price quoted at that date would apply to old season's lambs, in which there would be a considerable quantity weighing over 361b. . The Board would be pleased to supply anyother information the Lnion required in respect to it. The chairman: There is nothing clear there at all—well side-stepped. I don t think they have answered our question, as new season's lamb was quoted up to 42s all round, instead of up to 3<3s, We don't know any more now than we did some months ago. There is no indication there abdnt the trend of the market for the remainder of the season. ■ , , ~ The Ashburton branch forwarded the following resolution, passed at its last meeting: -"That this branch is of the opinion that the time is opportune for the establishment of a meat pool. Mr S. H. Lill stated that if they could get the pool, going he woiild be in favour of letting the., exporters, have the light lamb up to 36s • and pooling the heavy lamb. . > ' Mr A. P. Bruce stated that the Meat Board had been appointed to watch their interests in London. Mr Jones and others went around the country giving information, but the farmers went home and thought it over they found that the information was not of much use to them. It appeared to him that the whole thing had been .organised from London They . had been up against it —first of all the works were not opened early enough this season, and then the next thing there wasa drop of lid. per; lb. Mr W. T. I<ill said that they required to know the percentago of lambs killed in both grades in the Dominion. Mr J. Carr' said that the time was ripe "for a compulsory pool and the voluntary pool was there if t>ey want- 1 The chairman stafei . .that .they should write to the Meat. Board and. | ask .them, if they had considered the ! matter of a pool. They had not sufI- ficient information in the letter from | the Board. , • It was agreed to write asking the Meat Board. if it considered the time opportune for the establishment of a. Meat Pool, and what was the earliest; date vupon which .lambs- could: be received. ARRESTED TWICE. , SHIP, AND-CARGO.. , • . . (special to ."thb psbss") .. •AUCKLAND, April 16. The trim American; barque, Guy 0. Cfoss, ia lying in ft© atream under' double arrest, and. .appearances indicat® that the vessel and Her cargo of lumber, worth £10,000; will be the subjeot'of lively war between the maritime lawyers. ' ,/ . lie-inclusion;of the..cargo in.. the "arrest" ,is th 6 reason; Of the writ of to-day,and the going on board,^ the b^iff/whose duty it ib to Bee thAt tiw vessel remains at anchor; Th®-consign-ees took action beoause their timber is being held up, disoharge ofoourse, having ceased instantly when the writ, appeared last Saturday. Hie legal issue appears to bo whether for the discharge of a debt to the crew recourse may be made to the cargo and freights It is understood that a fairly large portion of cargo has. boon paid for, , and that the freight .on it Was prepaid, and consignees therefore claim delivery of their timber. One of'the consignees'in'this position is the ; Public Worte Department. The reason why the cargo was claimed a* well as the ship is that it was considered that the ship alone might not bring the required amount if sold at this port. MILLING COSTS. "We Tiave received m letter from Mr R. Gardner, Ot Cust, in the course o£ which hj« says:— « "In to-day's 'Press' there is a.gooffdeal of publicity given to millers' profits, etc., and in this connexion I would like to make my position quite clear as regards Mr Coop s : figures given by millers in Bangiora. "The figures 'quoted are not mine. My | figures.siren to Mr Coop were as follows: .'From A bushels of wheat the average return j is one ton flour and 8301b offal.' Mf' Coop | raised the point that the freight of sacks -was not allowed for in selling mill products. This is quite correct so far as Backed products are concerned, bnt in the smaller sizes of flour, weights are net. "However, in the computation I put before Mr Coop, no allowance is made for weight lost | in grain through ordinary causes, nor loss in j sacks through vermin or other unforeseen losses, and herewith are the figures shown to. Mr Coop in connexion with our mill's output for year ending February 28th. 1926: Cost of Manufacture Per Ton of Flour Basis. e. d. Wages .. v.' 18 9 Power ..i . .. 4 2 Freight in and out i.. 18 5 j Rent of siding .. . 0 4J Insurance ... . 4 3 9 Bank interest '.. >..79 Repairs and renewals ■«. O fi Sundry-expenses .. -4 . o Directors' fees . . 2.0 Bad debts 1 ]j Depreciation of plant " J,. 4 4 •• Exchange and postage .. o 9 £s 5 u (N.B. —The bad debts were principally unpaid subsidy by the New Zealand Government.) "And to complete the computation, if Ts on trucks were paid, it would give the following result: — Cost. 48 bushels wheat at 7s .. 16 I*6 *0 15 sacks for flour and offal at Is 7d .. .. (t 139 Cost of manufacture 3.5 xi £2l 5 8 . Beturn. Hon flour .. .. if d A 8301b offal at average of '£B 10s . . P«r ton ■ • .«, . 310 6 Less discount allowed customer. 2* per cent., selling and collecting charges by Distributors, Ltd., 3i per cent..... 1" Slt Loss per ton if 7s is paid for "° 4 7 ... .. 11l th.'™flt " in E mill^g C rheat U at d 7 S "H $£ Whether his figures ara correct or not ii of no importance. The fart remains that ilB blsisV* * ,ood on a '7s and j