THE MEAT POSITION

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 118, 12 February 1941, Page 6

THE MEAT POSITION

It is essential, in dealing with the problems that now confront the meat trade, that the Minister of Marketing should carry with him all in any way connected with the industry, and particularly the sheepfarmers. The statement Mr. Barclay issued on Friday last was by no means complete, not apparently because of negotiations with the British authorities, but because of the need for further conferences with the meat interests here. Admittedly the position is a difficult one. The extent of the problem to be solved is uncertain, for it will depend entirely upon the quantity of refrigerated shipping space the British authorities can provide, and, with so many demands to meet, so many important services to maintain, it may not be possible to give even a general estimate of how many ships can be used for the meat trade.

But it is obvious that the industry must deal with the stock as it becomes available. That is why farmers have noted particuku ly the Minister's statement that the Government had decided to guarantee to all buyers of export meat “that it will be purchased ultimately by the New Zealand Government.” Just what is the full implication of “ultimately” in this connexion ? Large numbers of lambs are now ready for dispatch to the freezing works, and Mr. Barclay has stated that he wants the producers to carry on in the usual way. But buyers will not operate unless they have a market available. They could not be expected to buy and hold in cool store, at their own expense, large quantities of meat, even if assured that the Government would buy it from them ultimately.

It is known that conferences have taken place and that relevant matters have been discussed so it is hoped that the Minister will soon be in a position to publish details of the arrangements made. 'I iie Government has already a basis for negotiations with the British authorities about storage costs, and with rcsjxict to payment o! a substantial instalment of the purchase price of any meat held in store for an undue period because of lack of shipping facilities. I hese factors should be of material assistance. It is at the other end of the chain that the chief difficulty is found. Who is to provide the very large sums required to finance the extensive transactions, and also the interest on money advanced for the purpose? These are among the immediate problems, and the fact that ultimately the meat will pass into the hands of the Government does not assist in their solution. In the course of the next few weeks, hundreds of thousands of lambs, indeed probably some millions, ■will be ready for the works so that the negotiations must be brought to a conclusion as rapidly as possible. The second promised statement from the Minister will be awaited with general interest, for that issued last week left matters uncertain at the stage where the producers were most concerned