HIGH STANDARD

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 8, 9 July 1931, Page 11

HIGH STANDARD

NEW ZEALAND LAMB

EXPORTING THE BES^

Tho opinion, that every - endeavour, should,be.made to retain the advantage that New Zealand export lamb possessed was expressed .by Mr. .A. M.ft Samuel,; M.P.* in the course of an' address to; the conference of the New Zealand, Farmers'' Union to-day. , , ■:■.-. •

| "When I left England, New Zealand, lamb had an advantage over our competitors, South■ America ■ and Australia, of " I'd to lid por lb,"'.ho- said. "Capitalised, this means a very largo sum, and every endeavour should ha. made to see that this advantage is maintained. South America aiid. Australia aro both improving their ,type of export lamb by using a greater proportion. of Southdown cross every year, and Now Zealand cannot afford to sit back and allow this improvement to.go„oit without keeping correspon.duyj: price. Any tendency to lower the standard of our lamb exports is bound ,to reflect.oa our present increased' premium, Which means so much to the producer,. The standard must be .kept:.: up';/right through. Perhaps the farmers in' New Zealand do not realise the' importance of keeping up this 'high' standard, .but I can assure them that it is .of".vital importance to their interests..'Perhaps, also, ..they do no.t realise'the-great improvement in South American lamb, since the war. South American' lamb exports have-increased from l| million, carcasses in 1913 to over 5 millions ; in 1930, and this year it-looks as", if. the output must bo still bigger, I would liko specially to impress upon the New Zealand farmer the necessity for. sending only the best carcasses Home, and, also that tho fact of some .third-grado lamb being sent to England, is; to. be. deprecated. AVhilo, inspecting . Smithfield Market, with the Meat ..Board's representative, Mr. Forsyth; somo of these poor carcasses were poihted out to mc, and it struck mc ■ immediately; What a pity it was that millions ot' carcasses of Now Zealand lamb of thej highest quality .should ever have., to, .take the .risk of being classed,-:with some of the carcasses such as r I saw. Poor, bloomless,- of bad colour, . and certainly not a credit to ihc'.countryj of production. "Tho-advertising" <and :i propaganda work of tho Now Zealand Meat' Board in Great Britain is of a -very . high! standard, and very widespread; Almost every butcher's shop,in Great Britain is now displaying some New Zealand advertising material. Let ushopo that, steps will be taken to prohibit tho exportation of any .New Zealand lambi' of .third grade." ' '..ft',."

Mr. Samuel stressed the desirability] of having some Government v officer powerful enough to follow up this work and attain tho desired objective; a inau who could co-ordinate interests and find a way out, and who would be ablo to speak directly for the Primary' Producers' Board. He suggested that-the, matter was ono of such -great-importan-ce that tho Minister of Agriculture should pay a visit abroad and make a. personal investigation into: the -whole question of markets. At the same timo a committee should bo set up in' New Zealand, comprising representatives of; all the primary producers- and' ! the Government, assisted' by -commercial men, to formtilato schemes for*" the coordination abroad of all tho Dominion's marketing interests.' • <'■'.■