SUGGESTION THAT N.Z. MEAT RATION SHOULD BE SAME AS BRITAIN

Wanganui Chronicle, 2 October 1947, Page 8

SUGGESTION THAT N.Z. MEAT RATION SHOULD BE SAME AS BRITAIN

REJECTED CARCASES AND OFFALS (S.R.) Marton, Sept. 30. “If we like to put ourselves under severe restrictions we will have more .meat for England—shipping is availabue and there is less meat in cool stores in New Zealand because it is going out rapidly,” declared Mr, J. R. L. Hammond (Rata), advocating at a meeting in Marton today of the Wellington Cen'tral Provincial Executive of Federal Farmers -that the meat ration in New Zealand should be on the same basis ar. that in Britain.. He contended that if this were done much more meat would be available for expoi'., particularly carcases rejected because oi bruising. The people of Britain, he said, would gladly accept 'this meat and the Dmmmon's expect prestige would be in no way prejudiced if carcases with the bruised portions cut out were suitably labelled. At present, said Mr. Hammond, large quantities of edible meat were lost to Britain because the carcases were rejected. This meat was rejected because of bruising and was consumed in New Zealand. The meat ration in Britain, however, had been reduced from is 2d per person per week to Is, and while New Zealand had all the meat it wanted, people in the United Kingdom were severelyrationed. The subject was introduced during a discussion on the Aid to Britain campaign, and the executive decided to ask Dominion headquarters in Wellington to inquire into the question ot the disposal of rejected carcases and edible offals. The present situation had been brought about by emergency conditions and had to be met with emergency measures, said Mr. Hammond. “Why not put New Zealand on the same ration as Britain and export this edible meat ?” he asked. If a carcase was bruised the whole of it was rejected for export, but in the Argentine the bruised portion was cut out, but the carcase was exported and suitably labelled “This is an emergency situation, and I am sure that the people of Britain would gladly accept this meat,’ said Mr. Hammond. Offals were rationed in England, and while people in the United Kingdom wanted this meat New Zealanders were eating it coupon free. “If we are really in earnest in our Aid to Britain campaign we should ration all meats in this country,” said Mr. Hammond. After his tour of the United Kingdom with the New Zealand producers’ delegates to the Empire Conference, Mr. W. W. Mulholland, former president of Federated Farmers,, had stated that fats, sugar and jams were the commodities most useful to the people in Britain and had Jjrged that food parcels be made up on this basis. Mr. Mulholland, emphasising the food shortage in Britain, had described his visit to cool stores in Bristol. They had a capacity for thousands of tons of meat, t but the total quantity in store did not exceed 300 tons. Mr H. A. Stewart (Feilding): What happens to carcases rejected in New Zealand? Mr. Hammond: They go into local consumption. Mr. Stewart: That would not mean more for Britain. Mr. Hammond: We should have stringent- restrictions in New Zealand. All meat should be rationed. Sausage meat should be rationed, but it is not. The president, Mr. D. G. Gordon (Taihape) said that while it was difficult to increase production under present circumstances, efforts could be made to avoid the waste which was taking place, particularly with regard to fats and edible offals.