N.Z. MEAT SEASON

Grey River Argus, 31 July 1940, Page 9

N.Z. MEAT SEASON

STRAIN ON COOL STORAGE.

BOARD EXPRESSES CONCERN.

Concern at th e position regarding cool storage which has arisen as a result of the war is expressed in the annual report of the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board for the year ended June 30. It is considered that the additional storage which has been provided is not yet commensurate with the increased killing. The report states that a great.deal had been done to remedy the defic.ency in coof storage as a- result of conferences called by the Government in which the board had co-operated. After the experience of the last war, however, it was imperative that the Dominion should possess ample cool storage to meet any position which might arise. Nothing could, be more disastrous to the farming community than' th e inability to kill their fat stock, owing to congestion at the coot stores of freezing works. Dealing with killings, the report states that up to June 1 the total weight of all classes of meat killed for export showed an increase of lb per cent. Records were establisheu in beef, mutton and lamb. In connection with the lamb kill, it is pointed out that if an increased kill of, su>, 650,000 carcases, is maintained to the end of the season, the percentage oi export killings to tailings for the season would be 61 per cent, the hignest figure yet recorded. Emphasis is placed on the necessity for maintaining the reputation or New Zealand meat on the British market and the premium it enjoys. This must be retained at all costs, so that when the present crisis Is over the Dominion will be in a position to at once resume the wide distribution of meat throughout the United Kingdom. Breeders of chiller cattle are particularly requested not to relax their efforts to improve their herds, so that they can resume this valuable and increasing phase of production, which showed such great potentialities before the wai. With regard to shipments to Canada, which had met with so muen success in the previous season, the board considered that, in view of the potentialities of the market, it was essential that even small shipments should be continued. Special provision was made in the meat purchase agreement with the . United Kingdom that New Zealand could retain the right to supply a small quantity or meat to its regular trade outside Britain.