FROZEN MEAT

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 42, 17 August 1918, Page 4

FROZEN MEAT

THE REQUISITION SCHEME

NEARLY A YEAR'S SUPPLY IN

STORE.

Representatives of the meat-producers of the Dominion waited upon the Acting-Minister-in-Charge of the Imperial Supplies Department (the Hon. D. H. Gathrie) and the Minister for Agriculture (the Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald) yesterday afternoon to discuss the question of an extension of the meat requisition for a period making it coterminous with that which has been arranged in connection with the sale of wool to the Imperial authorities. This is for tho duration of the war and for 12 months afterwards from 30th June following the cessation of the war.

The delegation was unanimous on the point of an extension, and some of the delegates suggested that if any profits should arise from the- sale of surplus New Zealand meat on tho open market the New Zealand producers should participate. A condition applying to th© frozen meat requisition was ' that as from 20th October, • 1916, they should operate for at least three months after the termination of the war.

The price schedule at which the requisition was made is as follows :—Wethers, first quality, 721b and under, sfd per lb; over 721b and up to 851b,. s£d; 851b and'up to 981b, 4|d; second quality,. sgd; ewes, first quality (weights as above), 4|d, 4§d; second quality, 4fdj jamb, specially prime Canterbury quality, 421b and under, 6id; first quality, 421b and under, 6|d; over 421b, 6£d; second quality, 6£d. Beef, prime ox, sd; second and heifer, 4^d; boning, in quarters, 4jd; cow, prime, 4Jd; cow, second, 4£d; boneless, s^d; mutton, legs 6fd, shoulders s§d, loins sj|-d. THE HOLDING- OF MEAT. •

The storage, insurance, and other charges on the meat are paid by the Imperial Government. They amount to a vast sum, taking into account the accumulations of frozen meat in store. These amount to an equivalent of 5,750,000 carcases of 60 pounds—including beef. This is equal to nearly a whole year's killing for export. The Imperial Government is paying storage on that. It is now the middle of August. In November next slaughtering will begin again in the North Island, although it win not be at its full height until immediately after the Christmas holidays. The relief to be afforded by shipping between now ajid the resumption of slaughtering, so far as can be known at the moment, is about sufficient to only appreciably diminish the large holdings on Imperial Government account. The meat is not paid for, however, until bills of lading covering it are furnished to the Imperial Supplies Department; in other words, until it ia shipped. Then it is paid for, usually within twenty-four hours. But to relieve the financial position the Imperial Government recently made an advance payment of £3,000,000 on account of meat, and this was apportioned to meat already in store and meat then going into store. AFTER THE WAB. The idea of tho meat being placed on the same footing o,s wool in regard to the termination of the requisition is in order ,to stabilise the market when the war ends, for it is felt by those in tho meat, as other trades, that there may be violent changes in both prices and freights for most commodities immediately peace is declared, although it would not be improbable that returns to producers would again recover war prices or near them, once the nations now at war have time to consider the trade demands of peace, and to put their houses in order once more. .It is to avoid such violent fluctuations in price and, on the Imperial Government's part, to prevent the diversion of supplies of wool to other markets, possibly markets which are now enemy, that the wool purchase has been extended to certainly twelve months after the war ends—possibly longer. The meat men desire the same provision.