MEAT PURCHASE

Patea Mail, 9 May 1941, Page 4

MEAT PURCHASE

248,000 TONS FOR YEAR An announcement, that a meat conract between the United Kingdom and the Now Zealand Governments for the current season had been arranged was made by the Minister of Marketing, the Hon. J. G. Barclay recently. In this contract the United Kingdom Government has agreed to purchase 24.8,000 tons of meat within the production year ending September 30, 1941. This quantity is considerably below the figure of 300,000 tons contracted for during the first year of the War -but is substantially above the quantity of 180,000' tons which at one stage was the maximum the United Kingdom Government considered could be shipped and purchased during the present year. 'rite Minister concluded by saying that the surplus quantity of meat over and above the contract quantity would still present a major problem which this Dominion would have to face. In this respect negotiations were still continuing with the United Kingdom, and it was also hoped that the development of our canning facilities would greatly assist in. utilising various classes of meat which could not be shipped in the usual manner.