MEAT FOR PALESTINE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26781, 26 May 1948, Page 5

MEAT FOR PALESTINE

BUYING IN AUSTRALIA CAUSES COMMENT SYDNEY, May 25. Australians should not be forced to accept meat rationing if Palestine could buy Australian meat intended for Britain, said Mr T. Herbert, secretary of the Meat and Allied Trades’ Federation. He was commenting on reports that Palestine buying had caused higher prices at Melbourne and Brisbane stock sales. “ If Britain does not require all the meat she buys, the extra meat can remain here, and we, shall get rid of meat coupons,” he said. “ Meat wholesalers are at liberty to sell on the home market for internal consumption at fixed prices, or export in an unrestricted market. Naturally, they sell on thebest market.” Mr Herbert added that it was difficult to identify Palestinian buyers, who operated through nominees or solicitors He did not know whether they were Jews or Arabs. The New South Wales branch of the federation would ask the Federal Government to seek assurances from the British Ministry of Food that all of its meat purchases went to Britain. The Minister of Commerce, Mr L. T. Pollard, said in Melbourne that Australia was shipping meat to Palestine, but that this did not affect the meat export to Britain. Australian meat exports to many countries in the. Middle and the Far East were considerable.