EXPORT OF LAMB

Otago Witness, Issue 4042, 1 September 1931, Page 31

EXPORT OF LAMB

A VALUABLE INDUSTRY. WELLINGTON, August 27. The necessity for costs being kept down to the lowest possible point was stressed by Mr D. Jones, chairman of the Meat Board, in reviewing the past season at the annual meeting of the board to-day. It was imperative, he said, to concentrate on reducing costs, not only as applying to those on the farm, but also various costs in the intervening links from the farm until the produce finally reached the point of consumption. Having in view the steady increase of the output of lamb from New Zealand and other countries, the board was using every endeavour to enlarge the channels of distribution, and was allotting the freezing companies as much space as possible for shipment to the West of England ports and Glasgow. There could be no question that regularity and continuity of supplies were most important factors in the attainment of success on the British market, and the authority exercised by the board over shipments in this way was probably the most valuable work the board had undertaken.

Mr Jones stressed the necessity of keeping up and improving the quality of. our product in face of world competition. The board was opposed to any lowering of the standard, and had given definite instructions to the supervising graders visiting the works not to allow lambs below the limit of the present second-class standard to be shipped. It must be recognised that these lambs would go forward as the product of the Dominion and be sold as such, thus becoming a source of danger to the trade as a whole. Mr Jones said the Dominion was in a position to carry considerably more pigs, and they should concentrate on further developing pork exports.