MEAT PRICES FOR N.Z.

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26813, 19 August 1952, Page 7

MEAT PRICES FOR N.Z.

Parity Sought With Australia (Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) * (Rec. 10.20 p.m.) LONDON, August 18. “It is quite clear that the New Zealanders now negotiating in London are determined once again to hold their meat prices in line with Australian,” says the “Financial Times’ m a leading article. . “That would have a noticeable effect on the British cost IVi "f g - a rHnn Wh f e T B iA U ? tra,io r m<fat haB been reduced to only a fraction of the total supplies, the New Zealand proportion is large and steadily growing. K F • T ?i, e pro ? pect 18 the British negotiators will have to resign themselves to a rise m cost of nearly all meat and dairy produce, which constitutes about 30 per cent, of the total paid for food purchased under bulk contract agreements,” says the article, which discusses the negotiations for food which Britain is conducting with New Zealand, Denmark, and the Argentine

“New prices, higher than last season’s, have just been agreed for Australian meat, and a smaller, though still substantial, increase has been granted for New Zealand butter and cheese.

“This last means a rise of 71 per of "ail ‘S. ,f o,t 01 allnost one-half nL»L the butter and one-third of the public consumed by th® British

=^rt The „ P 3 ne a., dt4ly noted the fact, and will doubtless press for a further increase in the price of their deliveries.”

After discussing the requests of the New Zealand meat negotiators, the article continues: "Moreover, other meat supplies from abroad are likely «.f£ ow dearer at the same time. There is no indication yet of the quantity that may be forthcoming from the Argentine, but it is almost certain that if any meat is shipped at all the price will be higher. In these cases Britain is in fact paying directly or indirectly for the domestic inflation that has developed in some countries supplying its food. In these bulk contract negotiations it seems one gets the worst of both worlds.

supplier can base his claims either on the market price of comparable products sold by other countries, or on the rise in costs of home production.” [Australian producers, it was am P°“ nced on August 11, will receive 17.7 per cent, more for lamb for export to Britain.]