GROWING SERIOUSNESS OF MEAT POSITION

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 108, 8 May 1941, Page 2

GROWING SERIOUSNESS OF MEAT POSITION

Producers Voice Csncern GOVERNMENT LACK OF POLICY BLAALED According to meat producers the seriousness of tho meat problem is being aggravated by the lack of any policy on the part of the Government. At Monday’s meeting of the Wellington Central Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union, held at Alarton, the t situation was considered at length, the i discussion being preceded by a demonstration on a mutton carcase by Air. S. Timbs, of Wanganui, his method of 1 trimming- the meat so as to ensure that £ the rationed consumer at home received J meat and' not fat. In tho course of his 1 remarks Air. Timbs said that liis proposals were not so much concerned with i the idea of conserving refrigerated i space on ships as they were with the en- t suing that consumers obtained consum- 1 able meat and not fat or tallow for their 1 meat ration. The demonstration on the i carcase was most convincing and it was 1 agreed to invite Air. Timbs to attend i the forthcoming inter-provincial con- i ferencc at Palmerston North this j month to demonstrate before delegates, i Air. D. G. Gordon (Taihape), presi- < dent, in introducing tho discussion on ! the meat problem, said that members « had been impressed by the demonstra- 1 tion given by Air. Timbs and it seemed < that there was much to commend the : adoption of his scheme. However, producers were now facing a grave situation arising out of the disposal of meat : and he suggested that the views of the < recent meeting of the Dominion execu- : tive of the Farmers’ Union might well bo endorsed. Air. L. Hammond (Rata) said that producers were faced with the position of tho Government having no policy and it was high time that plans were formulated in roadinfss for the handling of next season’s meat. There had been a great deal of rushing around but nothing of real consequence had been done. The whole procedure required coordinating. The Aleat Board had called the electoral college together to discuss the matter. The proposals arising from * this conference apparently did not appeal to the Aliniater of Alarlieting who then called another conference which included interests other than producers. The Minister picked the eyes out of the recommendation made at this conference and that was as far as it went Tlio Government promised tho Aleat Board electoral college that it would pay for all meat accepted by freezing companies but now the Government was restricting the classes of meat which freezing companies could handle. That appeared to be ojio method of getting round a sticky point. Air. Hammond went on to quote figures relating to the meat position, .stating that with the production this season and the carry over of 4-1,000 tons |of meat from last season, the country jhad to dispose of over 400,000 tons of meat beforo September 30 which (marked the end of the current season. These figures took into account the fact Uhat certain classes of meat were being excluded this season. Allowing for the , arrangements completed for tho export of so many thousands of tons a month, estimated at 180,000 for the season, it was anticipated that there would be a ! carry over of something like 190,00'J . tons at September 30. The figures ; altered from week to week in consci quence of shipping movements and -particularly the recent announcement I j that the British Government had agreed 'I to take an additional quantity, but even 'allowing for tnat Mr. Hammond could ] net see that Now Zealand would escitpe having on hand at tho end of the season ; little short of 150,000 tons of meat unsold. ! Despite wlnit had been said to the ' contrary the storage position was not 1 satisfactory. New Zealand would require storage for 300,000 tons not counting the freezing chambers. It was a situation which would have to be grappled with. At least 100,000 tons of meat would have to* be processed-canned or boiled down. And it was not alone a question of storage for meat for blitter was affeete! also. Producers could ask themselves what was going to happen next season with only anont 0,000 tons of butter a month being lifted. Already certain freezing companies were freezing butter and if the freezing space was, to be taken up my meat there would be no room for butter. It was all very well for Mr. Nash to say that lie was opposed to destroying good food—we are all of that opinion, continued Air. Hammond, but if the country had not the storage facilities and could not ship the produco some--1 thing would lmvo to be dune. Wafe there ■ any difference in allowing sheep to starve on farms and converting tho carcase at the work* into fertiliser? ho . asked, lie contended that it was nothing more than political propaganda l’ot 3 the Alinister to talk about destroying good food and it would not go down ' I With the producer who was ooliged to - face up to the facts. Ono could not got I away from tho figures. Freezing works i (could not store the meat and handle the .next suason’s output as well. The , ! troublu, in his opinion, was that the , (people who were trying to control the , (problem knew nothing about it and the ,'soonerv the Government employed sonic- . | one with a knowledge of tho meat proI I dueing business the bettor it would be i (for the country’s internal economy. , Now Zealand was going to suffer liugo - losses unless tho problem was tackled .(in a business-like manner. . I ‘ ‘ Wj6 have tho spectacle oi a Alinister ii saying iu Palmerston North that the II Government never promised to pay for bobbv calf meat and of Mr. Nash telll‘ | ing the electoral college of the Aleat , (Board that the Government would pay . i for all meat that went into freezing . companies up to September 30,” eon- . I tinned Air. Hammond. “Air. Barclay • 'stated in Palmerston North that no • such promise was made by the Minister • of Marketing in connection with the ■ bobby calf industry. We cannot get - anywhere with such a situation which I • suggest is destructive of confidence. • Producers must tackle the problem and ■ must get. down to concrete facts- and • most of all convince tho Government to • allow the producers to handle the situa-

Dealing with the matter of the sul> sidv Air. Hammond stnted that tho Government had promised that any industry effected by tho war was the concern of tho whole country. The Government, had not stated how far it would •go so tho Farmers’ Union had offered proposals designed to meet tho problem. It was proposed that the exportable meat, would finance itself as at, present but the purchase of eventually exportable meat should bo financed by shortterm loans raised bv the Government from tho genuine savings of the people. In regard to tho unexportable meat it was proposed that this sholud bo financed from tho Consolidated fund. It was only in connection with tho unexPor table meat, that tho Government

would be expo"ted to assist, tho industry. If the Government Would only

make known its policy producers would know what to do. Mr. \V. G. Booth (Bedding) recalled that tlio Government had appealed for increased production — “ Yes/’ said Mr. ilammoud, “and the Govornuiciit promised to pay for all meat accopted by the freezing works. But it was not tnis year that producers were concerned about it; it was next season ’s production. \Vo do not want a repitltion of what happened at the end of the Great War wlien the thousands Of tons of meat in store was unloaded on to the market to create the slump that immediately followed, in advocation provision for additional storage we must keep this in mind. The freezing companies are asking what of the future when asked to provide extra storage. The Farmers’ union alone is alive as to the gravity of the situation and Mr. Mufholland was moving Heaven and earth in an effort to get something done/’ he said. The problom was fully debated and closed with the adoption of the proposals of the Dominion executive of the Union with the addition of a recommendation that the Government arrange for canning anti processing plants to work three shifts in order to reduce the meat carry over. It was further agreed on the motion |of Mr. Kilgour (Apiti) and Mr. Mr. O. A. Bergen (Marton) to recommend to Farmers’ Union headquarters that publicity Vie given the fact that prolonged storage caused meat to deteriorate. In this matter the president recalled that Mr. Timbs had Mated that the fat on meat held in storage for 12 months becamo rancid and this ultimately affected the meat, and it would therefore bo uneconomical to store such meat well knowing that it could not be consumed if stored for 12 months. He welcomed the idea of giving publicity to this in order that tho public might understand clearly the position which producers were facing.