COMMANDEERED MEAT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16023, 15 September 1915, Page 5

COMMANDEERED MEAT.

SYSTEM CONDEMNED.

GISBORNE FARMERS' COMPLAINTS.

(BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORBESPOVDENT-l Gbbobxe. Tuesday. A meeting of farmers of Poverty Bay to consider questions arising out of" the war recorded strong exception to meat speculators in England deriving a disproportionate gain from the sale of surplus commandeered meat, asked that the Government should see that the farmer is either paid the full value for meat, or is allowed a tree hand to ship meat to England, givins; the military authorities such option >r right as may be considered advisable to enable them to take sufficient supplies to satisfy all their requirements for military or other purposes, or. alternately, that lamb and mutton should not be commandeered, in the same way as veal is at present excepted. The meeting also suggested that no person should hold office upon the committee controlling the sale of the surplus of commandeered meat who is associated with any firm or company that is a buyer and seder of meat. It was further suggested that if the meat is still to be commandeered steps should be taken to sell the surplus to consumers in England for the actual cost, plus all proper charges and allowances.

Another resolution stated that the present control of commandeered shipping is not proving satisfactory for, inter alia, "the following reasons:— There is no representation of New Zealand fanners' interests upon the Shipowners' Committee set up, both in England and in New Zealand, with the consent of the authorities. to control the commandeered insn!at«i space of British steamers; (b) in consequence of a number of New Zealand boats being diverted to the Argentine, which is an alien country, and where the Imperial authorities have not comma id eered ' the meat, the difficulty of shipping New Zealand commandeered meat has b-en creatlv increased: (c) that New Zealand shipping is being focussed at the Port :« London" where there is great congest io • and no adequate facilities, entailing :racted delays in discharging cargo: ■l! at the present time in consequence of the serious shortage of shipping, there is a very large quantity of commandeered meat in tie various freezing stores of this Dominion.