GOVERNMENT TO BUY MEAT

Southland Times, Issue 24355, 8 February 1941, Page 6

GOVERNMENT TO BUY MEAT

Export Purchasers Guaranteed (United Press Association) ? WELLINGTON, February 7. To maintain the economic stability of r , the meat industry in New Zealand as j. far as possible the Government has de--1 cided to guarantee to all buyers of exr port meat that it will be purchased I ultimately by the New Zealand Gov--5 ernment irrespective of the final con--1 tract conditions concluded with the 1 United Kingdom. This statement was j made this evening by the Minister of . Marketing, the Hon. J. G. Barclay, who • explained that at the present time ‘ New Zealand’s meat contract with the i United Kingdom Government to cover the current season had not yet been completed, but that every effort was 1 being made to reach finality and the ; negotiations were proceeding daily. ; Mr Barclay said the main purpose of his statement was to place before farmers the main facts of the present position as it related to purchases of meat by the United Kingdom Government, the effect of restricted shipping and the firm intention of the Government to maintain as far as possible the economic stability of the meat-produc-ing industry. It would be remembered that the Government, through the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance, had from time to time expressed its intention to finalize the conditions, when the necessity arose, under which all meat produced in the Dominion during the 1940-41 killing season would he purchased at standard f.o.b. prices published by the Marketing Department. BURDEN ON BRITAIN “We must realize that the Old Country at present is carrying an immense burden under conditions of the utmost difficulty and for this reason we must be content to accept the delay, which is unavoidable, but which we know the British Government will terminate as soon as it is possible to do so,’ said the Minister. “Most farmers will be thoroughly conversant with Lord Wooltons recent statement announcing that because of present shipping circumstances it is inevitable that fewer ships can come to New Zealand and Australia during the present year than it was possible to send last year and that this means a restriction in the volume of our exports, particularly those which ! depend upon refrigerated space. _ In a memorandum to our High Commissioner in London Lord Woolton stated it was the intention of the British Government to lift all meat from New Zealand that was humanly possible. The New Zealand Government is fully confident that this promise made on behalf of the British Government will be implemented to the fullest extent. Therefore, the present position of the export of oui’ meat can be simply stated as being dependent entirely on the amount of refrigerated shipping space which can be provided during the current year. ASSURANCE TO PRODUCERS “In view of all these circumstances and in view also of the New Zealand | Government’s intention to maintain the | economic stability of the meat industry in New Zealand as far as possible, we have decided to guarantee to all buyers of export meat that it will be purchased ultimately by the New Zealand Government irrespective of the final contract conditions concluded with the United Kingdom. Tentative proposals have already been discussed between the Government and the meat interests and administrative machinery to implement the Government’s promise is in the course of preparation. The producers can rest assured that all details will be finalized in the shortest possible time and the arrangements will be such that operators will be able to continue their normal activities without undue inconvenience to themselves or to producers. “In anticipation of the possibility of a restricted shipping programme the Government has for some months past been organizing the erecting of additional cool storage to the limit possible with the materials available. The Prime Minister in a statement last month gave full details of the extent to which this additional cool storage had already been erected or is in course of erection. I can only add that within a very short time we should have ample cool storage to safeguard the condition of our meat and carry us over the difficulties of the present season.” Mr Barclay said it was his intention to make a further statement as soon as the present negotiations between the Government and the meat interests were complete. In this he would give the full details of the arrangements which have been finalized and in the meantime his message to all meat producers was to carry on in the usual way.