MEAT EXPORTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 August 1933, Page 2

MEAT EXPORTS

DRASTIC RESTRICTIONS. [PER press association.] WELLINGTON, August 15. It is authoritatively learned that shipments of frozen beef from New Zealand to Britain are to be drastically curtailed during the next three months. No statement is being made meantime by the Meat Board. It is nevertheless reported that the British Government have communicated, through the Meat Board, with the shippers, asking if they are prepared to withdraw their beef shipments till the end of November next. Mr. Fraser, the General Manager of the Meat Board, says that he is not in a position to make any statement regarding the matter.

The shipments of beef during the current season have been much heavier than in recent years. For the ten months ended July, 1933, the total of shipments was 278,541 quarters, as against 144,051 for the corresponding period last season. Nearly all of it went to Britain, being an increase of over 93 per cent. In addition, 222,870 bags of boneless beef were exported during the ten months compared to 184,599 bags in the corresponding period last season. The killings during the past ten months totalled 429,113 quarters, compared to 176,200 for the corresponding period of last year, an increase of over 143 per cent. At July 31 there were 164,532 quarters of frozen beef in the New Zealand cold stores, as compared to only 65,498 one year ago. Ships that, had not departed by July 31 had aboard 18,187 quarters as compared to 7498 in 1932. The lamb shipments for the ten months totalled 7,929,613 carcases, an increase of 191,780. The mutton shipments, at 1,651,693 carcases, showed a decrease of 700,208. The pork shipments at 196,312 carcases, showed an increase of 77,937 carcases. “OTTAWA” REVISION. [BY CABLE —PRESS ASSN.—COPYRIGHT.] LONDON, August 15. Mr. Gates, the President of the British National Farmers’ Union, has a letter in the “Daily Telegraph,” in which he says:—“Every farmer in Britain will hope that the result of Mr. Baxter’s conference with the New Zealand farmers will be an understanding leading up to a variation of the Ottawa agreement.” N.2. EXCHANGE RATE CRITICISED. LONDON, August 15. Commenting on the statement of New Zealand finances that has been issued from the High Commissioner’s Office, the “Daily Telegraph’s” City Editor says: “The depreciation of the New Zealand pound is admittedly an arbitrary one. It is designed to help the primary producer, but this statement plainly indicates that the present rate is more uneconomic than even the banks which opposed the change last January, then thought it would prove to be.” MR. FORBES’ TOUR STUDYING U.S.A. CONDITIONS. NEW YORK, August 14. Mr G. W. Forbes, when interviewed here by the Australian Press Association, said that the primary purpose of his visit to America was to study America’s national recovery administration, since the working out of the American plan would also affect the rest of the world. He had had an opportunity of examining the application of the so-called planned economy directly at its source, particularly in the financial and industrial areas centring around New York. To-day, Mr Forbes is proceeding to Washington to discuss with President Roosevelt (who will entertain Mr Forbes at White House at luncheon), some of the larger aspects of the United States recovery programme.

Mr Forbes, while he is convinced that all who are concerned with the administration of the plan are inspired by the genuine conviction of its necessity and of its ultimate success says that he is personally reluctant to"express any opinion as to the eventual outcome. He states that the immensity of the problem which President Roosevelt is attempting to solve becomes apparent when one examines the technical and economic considerations alongside of the human material with which the plan has to ’work, namely, the varieties of the nationalities making up the one hundred and twenty million people who are to be welded under the plan. Asked if New Zealand could find anything in the plan that would be applicable to the Dominion, Mr Forbes said that he intended looking into a single aspect, such as the farm recovery administration, particularly in its applicaton to wool and meat but said that, whereas America’s problem is one of internal recovery, New Zealand was compelled always to cut its economic garment according to the cloth of foreign markets. Doubtless, however, international lessons would arise from the ultimate working out of the American scheme.