MEAT SITUATION

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 March 1941, Page 4

MEAT SITUATION

MR. MULHOLLAND’S REPORT

[per press association.]

WELLINGTON, March 28. A report on the meat situation by the Dominion president of the New Zealahd Farmers’ Union (Mr. W. W. Mulholland) was submitted by the Dominion secretary (Mr. A. P. O’Shea) to a meeting of the MakaraHutt provincial executive of the union to-day. Mr. Mulholland said: "The report of the committee of the meat conference which was given to Parliament by the Minister for Marketing (Mr. Barclay) on Tuesday was only that part of the report which dealt with the remainder of the present season and did not contain any of the committee’s recommendations in regard to the season now rapidly approaching. It will be seen by a study of the report that the Government’s action did not conform to that recommended by the report. “The basis of the report was there should be no stoppage of killing, but that it should proceed in the normal way. The committee’s recommendation was that classes of meat specified should be killed but not frozen for export. . A representative of the Farmers’ Union insisted. upon recording his reservation that this should apply only in so far as it was physically possible to deal with the excluded meat in other ways. Insistence on that reservation was indicated in the opinion of th§ majority of the committee that it was possible to continue killing normally with the restrictions as the committee recommended them, arid that at no time was it in the mind of the committee that there should be a stoppage in killing at the works. “It was recognised that it would be necessary to ration work and slow up killings to some extent to enable the meat to be dealt with in the way recommended instead, of in the normal way. The Government’s complete prohibition of killing at the freezing works of various classes of meat indicated in the statement published on Monday is not in accord with the recommendation of the committee. Mr. Barclay’s statement, however, was most notable for what it did not say.

“Apparently after three months of thinking the Government has not yet arrived at any definite policy. In the meantime the actions which it is taking may or may not be the right ones when the main principles of the policy have been determined. It appears obvious from Ministerial statements that the Government is more concerned with avoiding possible criticism.

“If the Government decided that it was necessary to convert meat into products other than those for direct human consumption I would point out that by forcing farmers to hold stock for which they have no feed they are in many cases actually destroying this meat so far as human consumption is concerned, and much more completely than by taking the action recommended by the committee.”

MINISTER AND BOARD WELLINGTON, March 28. At a special meeting of the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board to-day the board had a full discussion with the Minister for Marketing (Mr. Barclay) with a view to relieving the position concerning the killing of wethers and ewes. A statement by the board says that the Minister is fully alive to the position. A statement from the Government is expected soon after the Minister’s return from the South Island next week. NIGHT SHIFT AT CANNERIES AUCKLAND, March 28. With the object of making the fullest economic use of part at least of the meat which cannot be exported under the recent restrictions, proposals are in hand for the extension of meat preserving operations at two canneries in the Westfield district.

Steps have already been taken by one establishment to obtain the necessary labour to start a night shift, and the other is contemplating similar action. Both plants are normally engaged on a 44-hour week, and provided extra labour can be obtained a night . shift, working somewhat similar hours, will be employed. Representatives of the establishments stated that the extension of operations would depend largely on the essential labour being available. A shortage of labour in other departments had existed this season. For some time both canneries have been working at full capacity on the ordinary 44-hour week, and have handled certain cuts of meat from other freezing works in the district.