EWE AND WETHER MUTTON

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23299, 8 April 1941, Page 8

EWE AND WETHER MUTTON

♦— Relief Given South <1 Island RESTRICTIONS PARTLY LIFTED As from yesterday, wethers and ewes may be accepted by freezing works in the South Island for freezing for export up to a maximum weight of 521b, with a tolerance of 5 per cent, up to 561b weight. . In the North Island, prime wethers, four-tooth and upward, and up to 601b weight, may be accepted for freezing for export, with a 5 per cent, tolerance up to 641b weight. In addition, a 5 per cent, tolerance will be allowed to cover wethers which may be graded at the works as second grade, though originally drafted as prime wethers.. Second grade lambs of less than 261b weight are not to be accepted by freezing companies for killing for export, in both islands. Based on the killings in a normal season, the relaxing of the restrictions is expected in Canterbury to give the works an increase of 5 per cent, m their kills for the season. The full restrictions, wore assessed to reduce the weight of stock killed by 30 per cent., according to the manager of one freezing company. ‘‘The latest decision of the Government will give much needed relief to Canterbury farmers, particularly those in districts where feed was short before the last rains, he said. “Many farmers had bought ewes and when they found that the restrictions meant that they would have to carry two lots of ewes, they booked their ewe lambs for killing. They will appreciate the relief given, for according to the statements made on behalf of the Government, the additional killing of ewes and wethers amounts to 500.000.”

The partial lifting of the restrictions on ewe and wether mutton was announced by the Minister for Marketing (the Hon. J. G. Barclay) who has also said that a further decision made by the Government will enable boner cows to be received for killing by freezing works for canning purposes as from; yesterday. The Government will purchase the resultant canned beef from the canneries at a price to be determined, but which will permit freezing companies and operators to resume their purchase of boner cows from farmers on the present export parity basis.

Arrangement will also be made whereby freezing companies and operators who are not equipped with the necessary canning facilities will be enabled to sell a straight run of boneless cow beef cuts to the canneries at the equivalent of the current f.o.b. prices payable for boneless cow beef by the Marketing Department. Next Season’s Wool Clip

The Minister commented that the Government was strongly of the opinion that next season’s wool clip should give the maximum yield possible, and that for this purpose the flocks of the Dominion should be maintained at the highest possible level. “The Government has explored every possible means of securing alternative outlets for the meat now in store or to be killed,” he said. 1 ‘‘Such alternatives include the extension of our canning facilities to the maximum extent, and already very substantial orders have been secured from the United Kingdom for canned beef and mutton. At present our canneries are going flat out to= fulfil the orders we have on hand, and I want \o urge all workers engaged on this task to give of their best, for, by so doing, they will be assisting not only this country but our war effort, and particularly the Old Country. This development of our canning resources is most valuable and will materially assist our economic position and will enable us to meet; the needs of the British people, as such meat can be shipped as general cargo and release refrigerated space for other products in urgent demand.”

FREEZING WORKERS SEEK REPRESENTATION

The lifting of restrictions on cer'tain types of ewe and wether mutton is expected to improve the employment situation at the Canterbury works. Killings have been easing off in the last fortnight and at one works a number of chariftbor hands were dismissed while at another works the restriction of killing to - one chain appeared to be' fast approaching. The request that representatives of the freezing workers should be included in all committees set up to discuss the pieat crisis was made to the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser), and the Minister for Marketing (the Hon. J. G. Barclay) in Wellington on Friday ,by union officials from all parts of New Zealand, They also met the Minister for Labour (the Hon. P. C. Webb) and asked that the Government should find work for men displaced • from the freezing industry by the restricted killings. Mr H. G. Kilpatrick (secretary of the Canterbury Freezing and Related Trades Union) said yesterday that the difficulty of the workers in Canterbury so far was that they were working short timp, the companies spreading the work as much as possible so that the ,men would be available if required. If the men left the industry, they would be classed as "voluntary unemployed.” The State Placement Service had approached the union with offers of positions for 200 men on the Mid-Canterbury irrigation scheme and for 60 men on the 'Tekapo tunnel scheme, and those positions would probably be filled later by freezing workers who were unable to find positions in the city in other industries, where manpower was needed because of the draw-off for military service. ' SOUTHLAND COMMENT “ MOST UNSATISFACTORY ” (P.A.) INVERCARGILL, April 7. "The position can only be regarded by Southland farmers as most unsatisfactory,” said Mr Alex. Derbie, general manager of the Southland Frozen Meat Company, in commenting to-day on the announcement by the Minister for Marketing (the Hon. J. G. Barclay) that wethers and ewes up to 521b in weight might be killed at South Island freezing works. He said that at the weights stipulated not more than about 10 per cent.- of the ewes offering could be killed, and the task of drafting lightweight sheep would be practically impossible! “The position in Southland of the weights of ewes is well known to the authorities, because when I was in Wellington last week I made a point of making available average weights of sheep killed,” Mr Derbie said. At hne of the company’s works ewes killed so far this season averaged 601b, and at the other works the average was 58.91b. The weights would tend to increase as the season progressed because of the satisfactory Teed position. The arrangements announced by the Minister were quite inadequate to meet the position in Southland,

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS

SURPLUS EXPECTED (P.A.) / AUCKLAND, April 7. “A preliminary examination of the accounts for the year just closed suggests a surplus of revenue over expenditure,” said the Minister for Finance (the. Hori. W, Nash) before leaving for Wellington. He said that it was impossible yet to say what the surplus would be, but after making .provision for everything that would be necessary to meet, there would be a balance on the right side of the ledger.