MEAT FOR BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23000, 20 April 1940, Page 8

MEAT FOR BRITAIN

i PRICES PAID TO I FARMERS 5 CAREFUL ATTENTION BY | BOARD 3 In connexion with the prices being f- paid by exporters and freezing comf panics for the various classes of fat stock from time to time, the interests of the producers are being closely watched by the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board, which regularly examines costings taken out in respect to lamb, wethers, ewes, beef and pork, states a report issued by the board. These costings take into account the latest advices relating to the market for by-products not taken over by the Government. The weight of wool is arrived at by means of returns collected every week by the Controller of Primary Industries from every freezing company, showing the weekly pull of wool from lambs and sheep in respect of each company and its separate exporter clients. Costings are then worked out by the Meat Board, based on the respective weight grades, etc., and allowing for the varying charges for slaughtering, bagging, freezing, etc., to f.o.b. in the different districts. This enables the margin left to the operator or freezing company to be ascertained after payment for the meat by the Marketing Department, on the basis of the prices agreed upon with the British Government. It is of interest to recall that in the protracted negotiations which took place when the purchase of New Zealand’s exportable surplus of meat was arranged upon the outbreak of war, a committee fully representative of all interests put in a great amount of work in regard to the procedure to be adopted in connexion with the purchase of fat stock for freezing and shipment. Ultimately, the following resolution was recommended to the Government: “The method of procedure should be that the Marketing Department pay the fixed f.o.b. prices for all classes of meat.purchased by the United Kingdom Government to the freezing companies ahd operators; the price paid to the grower being left in the hands of the trade. The trade to provide the Department of Agriculture with returns showing the prices paid to farmers and what deductions have, been made to cover the intervening charges from farm to f.o.b;, together with any further information required in order to enable the department to decide

whether the prices being paid are fair and reasonable. . “The open door to farmers to be maintained, subject probably to conditions which will be laid down by the Marketing Department involving the possible pooling of farmers’ individual consignments.” In accepting this method of procedure, the Minister for Marketing (the Hon. W. Nash), did so provided the operations of the freezing companies, both as regards freezing ser-

vices and buying, were subject to an audit either by the Auditor-General or by a private firm of auditors approved of by the Government and reporting to it. In all these negotiations, the Government has treated the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board as its immediate negotiator in all matters connected with the United Kingdom Government purchase of frozen meat; and the examination of schedule prices, as mentioned above, is one of the steps being

taken by the board to ensure price paid to the producer for o* stock adequately reflects, not price being paid by the British ernment for the meat and wow the current values of by-proauc purchased by the British Cover®*