MEAT PURCHASE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23490, 30 October 1939, Page 11

MEAT PURCHASE

MR. A. P. O'SHEA'S VIEWS j REASONABLE RETURN "EVERY PENNY REQUIRED" COOL STORAGE QUESTION [BY TELEGItArn —COTUIESrONnENT] WELLINGTON, Sunday Commenting on the announced price agreement with Britain, on the wartimo meat purchase plan, the secretary of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, Mr. A. P. O'Shea, made it clear that the true value of the prices could not be assessed until intermediate handling charges had been fixed and until tho prices for by-products had been announced. However, he said, tho prices appeared to be satisfactory, on a slightly higher basis than last year's. They were not going to allow tho farmer any "profiteering"—the farmer would require every penny he was to get in order to retain his position—but they seemed to be reasonable in the circumstances. Mr. O'Shea said it was doubtful whether the coming season would bo more productively satisfactory than last year's. Climatic variations in somo important producing parts of New Zealand had interfered with stock successes. Parts of tho cast coast, for instance, were running behind normal rain schedule, and South lsinnd stock losses had been fairly heavy because of snowstorms and continued rough weather. After a drought in many parts of New Zealand owes had not entered tho winter in perfect condition, and lambs would have a big hurdle in front of them this spring. Members of the meat trade explained that it would ho useless for them to comment on tho meat price agreement until the intermediate handling charges had been announced. The schedule of prices announced by the Minister of Marketing could be, until then, onlv a rough guide. It was stated, however, that Mr. Nash's anxiety about inadequate freezing storage spaco was shared by tho export and freezing companies, and that most companies were now planning and making extensions to their spaco.

PORK EXPORT PRICES PRODUCERS GRATIFIED HIGHER THAN LAST YEAR PURCHASE OF LOWER WEIGHTS [from our own correspondent] HAMILTON, Sunday "The Imperial Government's offer of per lb., f.0.b., for New Zealand's surplus of exportable pork must be regarded as a very satisfactory one," said Mr. W. A. Phillips, chairman of directors of the New Zealand Co-opera-tive Pig Marketing Association, Limited, to-day. Producers, he added, must bear in mind the recent rises in overseas freight ■ and insurance, amounting to over id per lb., when considering tho price offered. Under existing handling conditions and buying practice tho "on hooks" New Zealand equivalent would enable a considerably higher payment to be made to tho farmer than the average price ruling last year. It would appear from Mr. Nash's statement, said Mr. Phillips, that an undertaking had been given to tho Imperial Government that the grading of all meat would, during the period of tho contract, be kept under strict control. It could therefore be assumed that the existing trading practice of paying differential rates for quality within the specified grade ranges would he continued. Such a course was desirable if tho prestige now enjoyed by the New Zealand product, on tho English market was to be preserved. Although the Imperial Government had now acceded to the New Zealand producers', requests to take porker weights down to 601b., tho purchase of this range of pork had been limited to 25 per cent of New Zealand's total exports. Tho special consideration shown with respect to this aspect of the position would be greatly appreciated by producers, who would, however. require all the assistance they could obtain to carry 75 per cent of their production to dead-weights of over 1001b.

THE LAMB SCHEDULE

GISBORNE DISSATISFACTIONBELOW EXPECTATIONS [hy telegraph—OWN correspondent] GISBORNE, Sunday Producers of the Gisbornc district have expressed some dissatisfaction regarding the purchase prices of Now Zealand lamb under the war-time commandeer. They believe that tho beef rates should be satisfactory, but tho Gisbornc district is not expected to be great|y concerned in the export beef market during the coming season, as a result of a great reduction in tho number of beef cattlo during tho past, autumn. The lamb schedule is lower than many producers expected, and some go so far as to say that the basis is lower than the. average received over tho whole of tho past season, hut this is not borne out by estimates made by interests who have gone carefully into the figures, which reveal that lambs should return farmers approximately the same, if not slightly better, than last year, a 321b. lamb being worth about £l. Sheep appear to bo on a more satisfactory basis for tho farmer. According to estimates made, a 501b. wether would be worth nearly £l, or 4s to Gs better than at some periods last season. Ox beef should give the farmer a return of approximately 30s per 1001b., which is par to slightly better than during the past, season, when prices were reduced to 27s Gd at one stage.