FREEZING WORKS GLUT

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27690, 21 June 1955, Page 7

FREEZING WORKS GLUT

Southland Farmers’ Difficulties

RELIEF EXPECTED BY END OF JULY (New Zealand Press Association) INVERCARGILL. June 20. Every effort would be made to handle as quickly as possible both cull and prime cattle, said Mr A. Derbie, managing director of the Southland Frozen Meat Company. Ltdtoday, and the district should be cleared by the end of July. Mr Derbie was replying to allegations made by farmers at the week-end that because of the inability of the freezing works to store cattle, thousands of head were still being held on Southland farms. Mr Derbie said that the facilities for killing cattle in Southland were J adequate, but very little use had been made of them for the last few years because the culling from reduced herds had been small. Even so.! most of what had been killed had been of boner quality, the prime beef having been absorbed by the local markets.

Because of the increased numbers of prime cattle the companies were anticipating fuller use of the facilities this year, but the national shipping crisis made this impossible. The present unfortunate position. Mr Derbie said, dated back to the London dock strikes. Since then the shipping had been totally inadequate, and had curtailed the killings of sheep and lambs. The works had been operating at from a half to a third capacity since March 14. The facilities at the port were such that only one meat vessel could be loaded at a time, and these loadings had been interrupted continuously fur the last few months by weather, shortage of whar: labour, and the growth of exports and imports. With the closings date in sight for the killing of sheep and lambs and the arrival of a relieving vessel, cattle killing would begin immediately, said Mr Derbie.