EMPIRE AS PRODUCER

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 6, 8 January 1925, Page 7

EMPIRE AS PRODUCER

WANTS NO ARTIFICIAL AID

EVIDENCE OF AN EXPEET.

(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.— COPIRiaiIT.)

(XEUTIR'S miSKAIf.)

'~ ■ (Beceived Bth January, noon.) '' - LONDON, 7th January. The. Eoyal Commission on Food Prices this morning heard the evidence of Sir Philip Proctor, Director of Meat Supplies, Ministry of Food, 1920-21, who stated that the consumption of meat in Great Britain and Ireland in 1923 was 1,997,000 tons, highest for six years. He estimated the Home production at 1,065,000 tons, and the importations at 932,000 tons. Out of the total consump, tion, about 27 per cent; was mutton and 73 per cent. beef. The imports of mutton in 1923 were 291,000 tons, of which 60 per pent. enmo. from the Dominions and 39 per cent, from foreign countries! The beef imports wero 641,000 tons, of which. 12 per cent, came from the Dominions and 87 per cent, from foreign countries. The Dominions furnished 5£ per cent., of the total beef; consumption, while America supplied. 28 per c«nt. Establishing a system of licences to deal with a deficiency of Home supplies and secure a market which already existed for nnder 6 per cent, of the sup. ply resembled putting in a. paper fast- | ener with a hydraulic ram. No stimulus appeared necessary to arr rest the decline of the world's (flocks of sheep. Tha present price of wool and future prospects would do far, more on that point than any attraction offerable by any meat market..: NEEDS NO ENCOURAGEMENT Sir Philip declared that New Zealand was only just recovering from the deterioration of the standard due to the British Government being the sole buyers of New Zealand produce. It would be: difficult to believe that any proposals would be acceptable'to the, colonial producer, if they meant that he must voluntarily abandon participation in the Continental trade. The' Dominions needed no encouragement in the! direction of supplying all the needs of. Britain. We could have done,'- he said, "with at least another million sheep or lambs from Australia, but Australia is unable to supply'them or beef, for which inquiries made in Britain will continue for many years to absorb everything the Dominions are able to produce. "As regards hopes of the ability of Australia to furnish a larger proportioji I of our bee! needs," he added, "the herds of • Queensland, the only large ■beef exporting State, declined from 7,047,000 in 1921 to .6,396,000 in 1923, while the consumption of beef within tiie State increased, from 287^000 to 320,0Q0 cattle in tha same period. Ifc is noteworthy that an increase of 25 per cent, in the population of Australia would practically absorb all the surplus beef at present available for export. Britain is no longer the only market for meat. : No scheme of price regulation would b e likely to be acceptable to the producers, unless it assured them the world's market value of their product. : PROBLEM OF THE FUTURE "The problem of the future," he said in conclusion, "will be not so.much to regulate the admission of meat to England as ..to secure sufficient, meaij'in .the face of .Continental' competitipn to maintain the present standard of consumption." •— ■ He. did not think that the State purchase of meat was going to solve the difficulty, . . . •