MEAT COMPLAINT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22289, 26 March 1947, Page 4

MEAT COMPLAINT

REPORT ON WAY

EFFECT OF SHORTAGE

SUPPLEMENTING RATION (P.A.) AUCKLAND, March 26. "Britain is in dire need of meat and has told us that she wants anything we can send from New Zealand,” said the general manager of the New Zealand Meat Producers' Board. Mr. J. J. Evans, when a London cable message was referred to him. Mr. Evans added that although it was pure surmise he suspected that meat sent for manufacturing purposes had been used to make up the ration because of the shortage of supplies, and that this had been the cause of the complaint. A cable message was received yesterday from the board’s London manager, Mr. S. A. Chisholm, stating that a full report had been forwarded by air mail. Mr, Evans said goat meat that had gone from New Zealand was very definitely in the manufacturing class and. in any case, New Zealand had not sent enough of it to provide a ration to go round. If the British authorities were using as a ration something which up to the present had been used for manufacturing purposes only, there would no doubt be a “kick” from consumers. The board did not like to see meat in the manufacturing class used as a ration, because it realised the repercussions it might have on New Zealand’s reputation for high-quality meat, but, on the other hand, the board could not dictate to the buyers.

The policy of the board was not to send anything that would be detrimental to New Zealand's trade in exporting only meat of high-grade quality.

Britain had been taking grossly overweight carcases of mutton from New Zealand because she wanted them badly for food. Britain was the worst off for meat at the present than at any time in her history.