OUR BONED BEEF.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 285, 26 August 1908, Page 3

OUR BONED BEEF.

| TO BE SHUT OUT OF BRITAIN. STOCK FARMERS ANXIOUS. - \ CABINET TAKES ACTION. ' V " A subject of importance was brought under ■. \ the notice of the Minister for Agriculture \(the, Hon. R. M'Nab). yesterday afternoon. 1 - U related to tho threatened prohibition of . tho importation into Great Britain of bonod beef. Tho deputation comprised . Messrs. Witty, Macpherson, Wood, Buddo, Flatman, Jennings,'Hornsby, Greenslade, and Rutherford, kll members of Parliament. ■ In' introducing tho . subject, 1 Mr.,/ Witty pointed out its importance. It was important not 'only to tho meat companies, but to the farming community. If the prohibi--1 /tionVere irisSed .upon it was going to be a ■ serious matter, since there were a _ number of catlle which could not be got rid of in • tiny otli«r.,way. It,w;as\conterided by Mr. Jennings that a' considerable "amount of money had been sunk : in; the! boned - beef industry, particularly at ; the WaitarAWorks; A prohibition would be niost disastrous, although he made .-it clear that the compjuies welcomed the system of inspection at present adopted. ' ■*•'■ Trying to Avort tHe Disaster. After other remarks of similar nature ■! had been made, theXMinister said that the , question of the imputation of boned beef, hadi come to a head _bu receipt of ; a cable from the High Commissioner, ,on August 17.The.High Commissioner,h\d said that he had received a copy. of' the' regulations from the, • Local' Government Board prohibiting the importation ,of boned beef .frdm November 1: next. . He,, had asked for "an extension of' timo to January ,1, 1909.. A cablegram had' ■' at once been sent to_ Mr. ReeveV instructing : him to -place the position before the authori-. ties, showing the care that was taien in the' . preparation of the meat, and also the method; of inspection. From the correspondence far to hand ho. was afraid they would not .be able to look for much success. '. V ;. A' Coneral Objection to Boned. Beef. \ . Tho High Commissioner had been assisted in .his. efforts (said Mr. M'Nab) by- -Mr.i '••• Reakes (Assistant Veterinarian), when at Home. In gne of his'letters the. High. ConA missioner. had mentioned that the-objection 1 ■ was chiefly to boned beef from other coun- " tries, and that no fault-was found .with that ; . from New Zealand. 'Generally,, said the High Commissioner, there was -a .'feeling - against boneless meat going into'the. coun-; -. try at all. , The objection'was general, and not . specific in regard to any country. The Minister, ; from the tone of: the correspondence, gathered that the -Imperial authorities had - set themselv.es against the importations of this, class of meat. Cablnot Has Hops. . . . The Government had suggested (said Mr. M'Nab) that it would go in for a more rigor- ;. . ous method of inspection, arid Cabinet was not > altogether hopeless that the threatened • • , prohibition might, a.fter; all, bo averted.