THE EMBARGO

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13841, 22 December 1908, Page 8

THE EMBARGO.

A MORE CHEERFUL VIEW

(From The Dominion.) The Government of New Zealand is. understood to be taking a rather hopeful view of the alleged prohibition of boned beef imports to Britain. The prohibition is to come into operation on January 1. The New Zealand Government, however, believes that the prohibition will not be absolute, but that so long as the boxes are properly marked and the contents are identifiable they will be admitted. Exactly what is meant by having the contents "identifiable" is not clear, as the organs usually examined for tuberculosis, etc., would not be included, hut probably it means that the various pieces in the box must be clearly identifiable with particular parts of the animal it represents. Doubtless the point will soon be properly defined, and at all events it is cheering to find the Government optimistic in the matter. It is stated that Mr Crabbe, the New Zealand veterinarian in England, inspected the condemned meat, and that some formal communications have been made by him to his Government, which, however, still leave much to be ascertained in the matter. The Secretary for Agriculture (Mr J. D. Ritchie) has been in communication on the subject with the Prime ! Minister (Sir Joseph Ward), who is the acting Minister for Agriculture, and on Wednesday a further cablegram was dispatched to Britain asking for distinct final directions as to what mode of procedure is necessary to make New Zealand boned beef acceptable. The British butchers will apparently give their support to any attempts made by New Zealand to preserve its boned beef trade. Their principal organ, the Meat Trades Journal, recently contained the following paragraph : — "According to a statement in the Scotsman representatives of districts from which beef is exported to Great Britain recently waited on the Minister for Agriculture for New Zealand respecting the proposal of the British Board of Trade to prohibit^ the importation into Great Britain 1 of boned meat. The Minister, in reply, said that the High Commissioner was considering the matter, i New regulations were. to come into force in November, chiefly directed against foreign meat; but general exception was taken to the importation of the class of meat referred to. Representations were being made as to the efficiency of the New Zealand inspection. The Minister gave it. as his opinion that there was faint hope of the regulations being relaxed m favour of the Dominion.