MEAT REQUISITION

Marlborough Express, Volume LIII, Issue 273, 20 November 1919, Page 2

MEAT REQUISITION

. ' . —•«►■ —— ■ ■■■ NEXT SEASON'S OUTPUT

POSITION STILL IN DOTJBT.

Speaking ato the opening of the new glaxo Factory at Matangi last week the Prime Minister., Mr W. *. Massey, referred to the purchase ot ■meat, by' the Imperial Government He said he had ) not yet heaid whether next season's meat would be rmrrthiqadi He pointed out now KriouHt would be Pfor New Zealand if the! Imperial Government bought from the Argentine and Australia, mid not from New Zealand, and stressed tho shipping difficulties New Zealand wquld have to face m such a After referring to the activities of the Imperial Supplies Department^ Mr Massey said-, there ,was only 1W tons of last season's butiter in store not shipped., and to those who said they could have done better-he said, "Yes. If they had the ships. ' A voice: Build your own. Mr Massey: Yes. I hope we wilj. But. what will we do while we are building them? iCbntinmng, Mr Massey said that over £111,000,000 worth of produco had been sold to and paid for by the Imperial Government. This money had all been accumulated., and not a single soul had not benefited. • Spenk'ng of the meat in store, the Minister said the Imperial Government was paying £1,000,000 .per year for storage, and they would1 not da this if they hadfthe ships to lift the meat. . . Whether they sold to the ImperialGovernment or on the open market, he would do all he could to assist producers, as he had no' feeling either way. The Imperial Government had (tone well in the past, and lie hoped their goodwill would continue, and that producers would -re-, ceive as much, or a. little more, than they had received notwithstanding *that with the end of the war the demand would fall. He was satisfied that there would be a good demand., nnd satisfactory prices for our produce W years to come.