SCHEDULE FOR FAT LAMBS

Southland Times, Issue 24129, 18 May 1940, Page 6

SCHEDULE FOR FAT LAMBS

PAYMENT OF PREMIUMS IN CANTERBURY

“Because of the letters that have appeared in the Press criticizing my statement about the fat lamb schedule I wish to qualify the remarks I made at a previous meeting,” said the chairman (Mr Henry Smith) at the annual meeting of the Gore Sub-Executive of the Farmers’ Union yesterday. Mr Smith said he had stated that a premium of up to 2/- a head was being paid by a Canterbury company for Southland lambs, but this did not mean that it was being paid on every line of lambs. Only good-skinned lambs could command a premium. He had been informed that certain North Island companies were prepared to pay premiums on special lines of lambs. Mr J. Begg, of Dunedin, had volunteered to come to Southland at any time and visit any place and speak on the matter. Mr Begg held that if a Southland farmer was prepared evenly to divide a line of lambs and send, say, 250 to a Southland works and a similar number to a Canterbury works, he would receive a better return from the Southland works because of the lower killing charges. If a company was prepared to pay railway transport, then that was a inatter of business. “It is not likely that a Canterbury company would purchase Southland lambs at a loss,” said Mr D. McGill, who added that Southland was overdue for another freezing licence. The discussion was continued in committee.