PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, Issue LXXII, 10 July 1917, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

MUTTON SHIPMENTS

A SPACE-SAVING SCHEME

(Special to Star.) WELLINGTON, July 9. When the Hon. \\\ L*. y.' MaoDonald visited Australia recently he saw a valuable experiment in the shipment of mutton with a view to economising space. Carcases are usually packed in a steamer's hold as close as .possible, but- their irregular shape causes waste of space. To avoid this it is proposed to cut off the hindquarter and pack it into the breastbone, putting the whole carcase into a compact mass. In a trial shipment from Australia it was found that the saving in space was equal to 33 £ per cent. A quantity of meat has already been prepared in New Zealand under this system, and a trial shipment will soon be made.. The probability is that the saving effected will be equal to a complete cargo on every five shins THE WHEAT PURCHASE. ' A statement is to be made to-mor-row (Tuesday) in the House by the -non W. D. S. MacDonaia, the Minister who negotiated the purchase of one million bushels of Australian wheat tor JNew Zealand, when he proposes to answer a number of critics. "Some gentlemen," he remarked to your correspondent to-day, '"'have been making a statement, either through gross ignorance or deliberate misreuresentation, that. I rushed over to Australia, advertised that I wanted to buy wheat and consequently bought at" a hi-di price. The position is really that on behalf of the New Zealand Governm.e"t, I have been in communication with Austraira since the beginning of last December, seven months before, lo show what little knowledge people here hav c of the position of milling wheat in Australia. I have "been advised by cable to-day that it will be necessary to try to get good wheat away as quickly as possible, as millers are purchasing heavily in best milling wheats. I believe the House will be convinced that I got the wheat at the lowest possible price for good quality. J 11™"' 110 bougn t the first shipment ■ it tons are Perfectly satisfied with the sample's quality, and some say they are satisfied with the price while others think it high. The wh«le object of the purchase was to keep bread down to a reasonable price. Quid nunes suggest that it could have been bought cheaper. Wheat can certainly be bought at all prices, but quality is vitah and our purchase, having regard to the latter, was cheap at 5s 6d free on board."