DAIRY PRODUCE FOR BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24799, 13 February 1946, Page 6

DAIRY PRODUCE FOR BRITAIN

BIG SHIPMENTS IN NEXT SIX WEEKS

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, Feb. 12. With a large number of overseas vessels scheduled to load at New Zealand ports within the next six weeks, heavy consignments of dairy produce would be shipped to Great Britain before the end of March, said the Minister of Agriculture and Marketing (the Hon. B. Roberts) to-day. “We are commencing one of the heaviest export periods for many months,” said the Minister, “and' in spite of the drought conditions with Which some farmers have had to contend this season, it is expected that by the end of next month we shall have loaded nearly 1,000,000 boxes of butter, 300,000 crates of cheese, and about 57,000 tons of meat for Britain “Last Saturday more than 80,000 crates of cheese left Wellington aboard the Paparoa and the Dominion Monarch. The Paparoa carried 40,407 crates and the Dominion Monarch 39,927 crates. This totals almost 6000 tons of cheese, and in addition the Dominion Monarch carried 45,000 boxes of butter, more than 1100 tons net weight. Between them these vessels also took 6134 tons of meat.” The Minister added that four more vessels were at present loading dairy produce in New Zealand. These were the Kent and Essex, loading at Auckland, the Papanui at Napier, and the Empire Highway at WeUington. The total of their cargo would be 240,000 boxes of butter and 82,000 crates of cheese. These vessels were also loading meat, and with the addition of the Lanarkshire and the Orion the total consignment of meat for the six vessels would be 18,321 tons.

The programme envisages a further 14 ships to clear Dominion ports before the end of March, added the Minister. These would carry approximately 39,482 tons oi meat, and the majority of them would also load dairy produce. The present cargo allotment for 10 of these ships provided for a total of 660.000 boxes of butter and 220,000 crates of cheese.