IMPERIAL SUPPLIES

Otago Witness, Issue 3400, 14 May 1919, Page 7

IMPERIAL SUPPLIES

REQUISITIONS IN NEW ZEALAND. OPERATIONS REVIEWED. WELLINGTON, May 8. To the 3rd May last the total payments of the Imperial Government for New Zealand produce under requisition amounted to £100.250,879. These figures were furnished by the Hon. Mr Guthrie (Minister in Charge of the Department of Imperial Supplies) during the absence of the i'rime Minister.

"The sum is certainly a large one," Mr Guthrie remarked, and it should be of public interest to -see how. it is made up. The- largest payment has been made on account of greasy wool —£37,750,000 in round figures. Meat follows with nearly £35,000,000, and butter and cheese — £l9,soo,ooo—are third in order of amount. " Take meat first, in historical order. It was requisitioned" as far back as March 3, 1915. The object of the Imperial Government in seeming New Zealand frozen meat supplies was twofold, but it was mainly for the feeding of the army. Beof was urgently wanted for this purpose, mutton also, and lamb was. understood to be for civilian consumption. The price paid for meat, to be exact, was £34,859,475, and is represented by 2,469,683 quarters beef, 8,562,098 carcases mutton, and 10,025,607 carcases lamb. There is still in store (aa at April 15) meat equivalent to 6,793,832 carcases. The largest shipment from -any one port during the whole period of the meat requisition were:—Auckland, 494,081 quarters beef; Wellington, 2,433,658 carcases mutton; and Lyttclton, 2,591,571 carcases lamb. , . "Oheese was next requisitioned. Ihe first quality shipped for the 1915-16 season amounted to 189,502 crates. The total quantities of cheese that havo been purchased amount to 1,859,901 crates, and the payments in respect of cheese amounted to £13,476,529. There are (April 28) 498,624 crates in storo awaiting shipment. "Butter was not taken until last season, and the total payments in respect of that amount to £5,847,624. The total exports amounts to 1,347,816 boxes, and there are still (April 30) 111,782 boxes in store awaiting shipment. "Coming to wool—the biggest item— tnat was not under requisition until Decemoer 1 1916. The greasy and scoured wool and telltnongers' slipe wool total in value £37 744,702. The number of bales paid for is 1557,204. There are 652,087 bales available for shipment. Operations in. connection with the requisition of freezing companies' slipe wool were not commenced until March 31, 1917, and with respect to such wools payments aggregating 44,068,718 have been made. Most of the wool has been, shipped to the United Kingdom on account of the Imperial Government, but some 118,268 bales of greasy wool and 9399 bales of slipe wool have been shipped on account of other governments. Ihe wool business has been very heavy. Wjeepskina and hides .representing values of £51,051,352 and £ £0,473 respectively have been purchased by the department. "Scheelite, from which, tungstie acid is obtained, has been requisitioned since September 20, 1914, and with respect to that commodity £138,540 has been paid out representing 680 tons. . "The other business covers a large variety of commodities purchased on the Imperial Government's account, and represents a total of £1,733,469." Mr Guthrie was asked to state mhat had been lost at sea in transit during the war period and through enemy action. .He put the losses at 18,829 quarters of beef, 187 340 carcases of mutton and lamb, 52,846 crates of cheese, 9668 bales of wool, and 18 tons of scheelite.