NEW ZEALAND MEAT

Otago Witness, Issue 3442, 2 March 1920, Page 13

NEW ZEALAND MEAT

SHIPMENTS TO AMERICA. " < GISBORNE, February 27. Tho steamer Armagh is due at Gisborqa on Tuesday next from Brisbane to load 36,000 carcases of lamb for New York. The cargo will be Imperial Government commandeered lamb, which evidently has been disposed of to America. WANGANUI, .February 27. During a public discussion on the meat glut Mr W. J. Poison suggested that a probable market might be found in the United States for New Zealand's surplus meat. ; ■ The Prime Minister dissented, expressing the view that every pound of meat sent to America would be so much more ammunition for the trust to fight colonial producers in England; and he went on to sat that it < now transpires that the freezing companies of the dominion have been ad* vised to ship meat, principally lamb, by th« Northumberland" to New York or Boston, space for the various freezing companies having been allotted by tho New Zealaoc Shipping Committee. THE CONGESTION AT HOME. IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT'S REPLY. AUCKLAND,' February 27. Replying to representation* from tht Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for the Colonies cables to the effect that the increasing congestion in the ports and oold stores of the United Kingdom is caused by unavoidable delays in the return of. requisitioned ships to their ownerj in the earlf - months of 1919, and by labour troubles. From now on until summer the supplies of Home-grown meat will be much less important, and the consumpticin of mutton and lamb will normally increase. Arrangements have been made for larger quantities of Australian and New Zealand lamb to be placed on the market. A large sale of New Zealand lamb has. been mado to America, and endeavours are being made to develop this market. The possibilities of making sales on thai Continent have not been overlooked, but the Continental nations prefer beef to mutton or lamb. The matter of the importation of meat into France is being taken up with the French Government. He hoped the Government would issue a categorical denial to tho statement that preference has been shown to the shipment of supplies from South America. During the year have been made to charter American and ' Italian insulated steamers for the New Zealand trade, but without success. His Majesty'B Government recently found it adV visable to renew the contracts in fore© "dtu>

ing the war for the purchase _ of the exportable surplus of Patagoniam mutton and lamb in respect of present killing season, which ends in April, 1920, the amount involved being about 25,000 tons. This purchase vas made with the object of protecting, as far as possible, the supplies of Australian and New Zealand mutton uncVr the control of the Imperial Government from competition by freshly-killed meat exported from foreign sources. The steamers employed' in conveying this meat are of limited capacity, and not suitable _ for diversion to New Zealand. The Imperial Government is most anxiou s to avoid expenditure for storage in New Zealand, and it is To its interests, as much as to those of New Zealand, to put an end to the present congestion.