SUPPLIES FOR THE ARMY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16545, 19 November 1915, Page 6

SUPPLIES FOR THE ARMY

FIRST SHIPMENT OF CHEESE. REVIEW OF MEAT EXPORT (SCHEME. (Fkou Oun Own Coiirespos'dknt.) WELLINGTON. November 18. The first shipment of cheese purchased by the New Zealand Government to the order of the Imperial Board of Trade, for army supplies, will go on board the Karamea at Wellington to-day. Ihcre are 204 crates in the lot, worth, in all, about £1000. It is expected that other shipments will be sent in the Orari, leaving this month, and in the R/uapehu, leaving early next month. Shipments of South Island cheese will not commence until next month. Up to date these have been shipped to the order of the Board of Trade 350,052 quarters of beef, 2,055,692 carcases of mutton, and 2,989,264 carcases of lamb, and the total payments for this meat have been £5,789,343. In the stores in New Zealand there are now about 150,000 freight carcases of meat —say a shipload and a-half; —but now season's meat is now beginning to come into the North Island works. Thirty-seven steamers loaded with New Zealand meat purchased by the Government have arrived at their destinations, 19 are on the way, and three are now loading in New Zealand ports. Owing to shearing having been delayed by wet weather, there has been no early rush of fat stock to the works. Another factor which is operating is the high price ruling for meat for looal consumption. Throughout the winter the butchers were paying more for fat stock than the Government pays for meat for export, and farmers are inclined to take their chance of the local sales at high prices, and for this reason have not put stock through the works. Grass is now abundant, and, when shearing is over, and bigger quantities of stock quickly reach prime condition, the rush will commence, and next month tho North Island season should be in full swing. A booklet has been issued by the Government givinc the history of the meat purchase scheme. It contains this paragraph : "There will be ships," the Prime Minister assured the anxious producers nt a time when there appeared to be no ships in sight to take away their meat. No less than 1.500.000 more carcases were er-rird during the 12 months ender] September ?0 than during the previous corresponding nrriod. Thero were, however, 35 ships during the 12 months abovo referred to, compared with 81 shir* for the same period of 1913-14.