SHORTAGE OF TONNAGE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16399, 2 June 1915, Page 3

SHORTAGE OF TONNAGE

ACTION BY FARMERS' UNION

SOUTHLAND NOT FAVOURED

(From Oua Own Correspondent.) INVKIICARUILL, May 31. /At the Farmers' Union Conference the president (Mr W. A. Cox) moved—"'liiat itlis conference of the Now Zealand Earmeis' Union desires to point out ttio seriousness o£ the position m Southland with regard to the space tor frozen meat and produce, and that unless the present congestion is relieved matters will become acute., as fat stock are now consuming ieed tilat ought to be reserved for store sheep during the winter months." In moving tho motion, Mr C«x said that o deputation -would that alternoou wait upon the Southland representative on tliu Snipping Committee, and would urge that as much space as possible bo secured lor Southland. It had been said that, Southland -was getting more than its share, but in Southland it was contended that tho north was getting more than its fair share. If they did not move in tho matter it was likely that'they would (get less space than they had been getting rather than more. Last week sufficient meat was taken out of the Southland Freezing Works to enable killing to go on as follows :—Ocean Beach Works, 18.000 carcases; Southland Erozen Meat Company, 26,00Q carcases. Ihis would enable tho works to keep going until Juno 5, when they would have to close down again. Tho i£ia Ora was due about June 15. and would possibly arrive a lew days later. She would take from Ocean Beach 10,000 carcases, and from tho Southland Erozen Meat Company 15,000 carcases. This would enable the works to continue killing for another week. No further steamer -would be available until tho middle of July, when one would come in which would take from Ocean Beach 6000 carcases and from the Southland Frozen Meat Company 10,000 carcases. The usual proportion was that tho Southland Frozen Meat Company was allowed two-thirds of the available space, having two works. Tho above hac! already been allotted by the Space Committee sitting in Wellington. ' No further allotments had yet been made. Canterbury and the North Island were bringing_all the pressure thoy could to bear on the "Space Committee to allot them space, and unless Southland people agitated tho committee would probably think that they did not requiro space, and cut them down to a totally inadequate Up to tho present time the Ocean Beach Works had killed 20,000 less lambs than they did up to this timo last year, and after this time last year they killed 40,000 lambs, so these works were now 60,000 lambs behind their total killing of last year. The Southland Meat Company would probably be in the same position. It was understood that if killing spaco had) been available more lam be would have been killed this year than last. There "was also a lot of "beef and mutton yet to be dealt with. Ocean Beach Works said they had applications for 2000 carcases of beef, which -was equivalent to 24,000 carcases of mutton, and they expected to bo able to kill 24,000 carcases of mutton yet if shipping space wero available. The foregoing meant that tho Ocean Beach Works -would still want to kill during the rest of this year 60,000 lambs, 20,000 sheep, and 2000 oattle. The space mentioned as allotted to them was, in sheep carcases, about three lambs to two sheep, therefore the 60,000 lambs would occupy tho space of 40.000 sheep; and this -with the mutton and beef meant that the Ocean Beach Works "yet wanted to kill ihe equivalent of 84,000 freight carcases, against which they had only got allotments for the 41,000 mentioned above. The Southland Frozen Meat Company's requirements would probably be found to be proportionately larger than those of Ocean Beach. It would be necessary, therefore, to bring all the pressure possible to bear on the Space Committee if Southland was not to be left. The most urgent matter was space to carry lambs. If these could not bo got away soon they would probably go off and become stores. Another point needed bringing up. It was reported that ihe freezing companies had been killing a «clrtain quantity of fat stock 6ent do-wn fftim Canterbury by dealers, and Canterbury people were using this as an argument to prove that Southland had been getting too big a proportion of the space allotments in the past The local freezing works should be used to kill no more Canterbury stock at all. There was not nearly enough space for Southland 6l:ock, and they should only accept, therefore, stock from the districts that supported them, and not take any from further north.

Mr T. W. Foster seconded the motion, and said that northern'people wero moving heaven and earth in tho matter, and were saying that Southland was getting too much spaoe; but Southland farmers were strongly of opinion that they were not getting sufficient space, and their fat stock was eating up the •winter feed as a result. Mr D. Wards said that the North Island was still getting a considerable amount of space, although the season had practically ended there. The motion was carried.

A deputation from the union wafted upon Mr R. A. Andereon (Southland representative on tho Shipping Committee) during the afternoon* and placed the farmers' views on the matter fully before him. A oopv of <i»e resolution was also wired to the Prime >iMinisfer by the secretary (Mr J. T. Prain). It has further been pointed out b" farmers that the turnip crops in Southland are this year about 50 per cent, below the average, t.he feeding capacity being thus prejudically affected. This markee Skmthland's position all the more serious. 1

SMALL FARMERS' DIFFICULTIES. SEQUEL TO SHORTAGE OF FEED. (Pe* Untted Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, June 1. The president of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce yesterday sent the following letter to tho Prime Minister:— Many small farmers are in a serious plight owing to having fat lambs and sheep on hand, which they are unable to sell or freeze owing to congestion of the freezing works. Swedes aro offering from Southland at 30s to £2 per ton on trucks, and would gladly bo purchased hefe, but railage mijkes the r-ost prohibitive. Could your department give any relief to local _ farmers by rebating the whole or portion of the railage, to enable them to replace their food already consumed?