MEAT PRICES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 256, 30 October 1939, Page 8

MEAT PRICES

“ REASONABLE” BUT NOT MUCH MARGIN WELLINGTON, Oct. 28. Commenting to-day on the announced price agreement with Britain, on the wartime meat purchase plan the secretary of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union (Mr. A. P. O’Shea) made it clear that the true value of the prices could not be assessed until intermediate handling charges had been fixed and until the prices for by-products had been announced. However, he said, the prices appeared to be satisfactory, on a slightly higher basis than last year’s. They were not going to allow the farmer any “profiteering”—the farmer would |uire every penny he was to get order to retain his position—but they seemed to be reasonable in the circurstances. Prospects For Season Doubtful. Mr. O’Shea said it was doubtful whether the coming season would ue more productively satisfactory than last year's. Climatic variations in some important producing parts of New Zealand had interfered with stock successes. Parts of the east coast, for instance, were running Dehind normal rain schedule, and South Island stock losses had been fairly heavy because of snowstorms and continued rough weather. After a drought in many parts nf New Zealand ewes had not e ntered the winter in perfect condition, and iambs would have a big hurdle m front of them this spring. Members of the meal trade explained that it would be useless lor them to comment on the meat price agreement until th<- intermediate handling charges had been announced. The schedule of prices announced by the Minister of Marketing could be, until then, only a rough guide. It was stated, however, that Mr Nash's anxiety about inadequate freezing storage space was shared by the export and freezing companies, and that most companies were now planning and making extensions to their space.