MEAT IN GREAT BRITAIN

Waikato Times, Volume 92, Issue 14263, 14 January 1920, Page 7

MEAT IN GREAT BRITAIN

THE QUESTION OF CONTROL. L AGITATION FOB ITS REMOVAL. i Messrs M. A. Eliott and Go., of Pal- , rnerston North, have received from their London agents an interesting letter dated November 20th concerning the question of "De-Control of Meal,” in which the following appears:—“Throughout the year most of the newspapers at some lime or other have published articles dealing with the above particularly and the food question generally. Like most of these ‘stunts,’ a lot of stuff is written which is not altogether accurate and only tends to cause confusion in the minds of the people, which ; gives way to irritation. Unfortunately, a prominent member of the Government 1 has joined in by making speeches quite recently on an average of at least once a week, and without their knowing the actual facts the effect on the minds of the public must have been that the country was more or less on the verge of starvation. Subsequently the British Incorporated Society of Meat Importers has co’-s'dcred it advisable to join in Hie r "dgn and to publicly combat some of the statements made. Quite the reverse of supplies bemg short, the difficulty is that the demand is not nearly sufficient to clear the daily pitchings on Sm'ithfleld, even Home-killed hanging fire at times, and to-day the storage position here is becoming as acute as it was in New Zealand at the early part of the year: Undoubtedly an error of judgment was made when the Ministry of Food' put up the price of imported moat in October, and it soon had to admit the mistake by again reducing the price of mutton and lamb to the level in operation prior to the rise referred to. The' position as we saw it was not to impose further restrictions, but to remove as far as possible those already in existence. We accordingly pressed for tbe withdrawal of the registration of customers with particular butchers, and the removal of the restrictions limiting the quantity that, could be purchased by customers. “Meanwhile, the British Incorporated Society of Meat Importers had the matter in hand, and the society called i wneral meeting of its members on the 17th inst. to discuss the situation. As the outcome a letter has been forwarded to the Food Controller, 1 the principal part of which reads as fellows; “The members beg to submit that in their onmion the time has now come for the removal of control over the imported meat trade, and that the first steps in de-control should be—(l) the return to the svstem in force before control was instituted of selling meat' fteely through agents in leu of the present system; (2) the withdrawal of the regulation compelling customers to register with a particular retailer; (3) the removal of all restrictions as to quantities purchased by the public.’ - S 6 far Ml is concerned we do not think the official mind is made up and at present the Treasury bolds the whip, whilst the British farmer is the power that wields it. None the less we consider that if (2) and (3) can be brought into operation a start will be have been made in the right direction; at the same time it is doubtful whether anything will be actually accomplished until tbe New Year.” Included with the lette” is an extract from a London newspaper, which states that the meat position is very serious, and that unless some solution is quickly found, the bacon scandal wall be completely eclipsed by the waste which will take place in imported meat. “At the present moment,” continues the letter, “there are over a million carcases of meat —mostly mutton —heading for England. There are also in the Thames, awaiting discharge, ships with over 35,000 tons of meat on board. There is available cold storage space for only 5000 tons, so that it is clear that the problem which the Food Ministry has to face is indeed a serious one. In , Smithfleld it is an open secret that the heads of the meat section of the Ministry of Pood are at their wits’ end to know how to deal with the situation, and it is not surprising to find that there is to be a reduction of 2d per lb on imported mutton and lamb. It is also officially announced that the 2s ration per head is a minimum and not a maximum quantity, and that but6hers may serve their registered customers with any quantity of beef or mutton they, may desire if they have sufficient supplies. To all intents and purposes the rationing of meat is for the moment practically suspended, in tbe hope that the public will save the situation by paling mere. The wholesale trade is almost unanimously agreed that control of meat should be abolished at once, and that if this were done there, wuold be a fall of fid per lb on the cheaper imported joints and 4d per lb on Hie dearer cuts. In the Port of T.nn 'm alone nearly 30 vessels carrying frozen meat are expected during Hie. mo-iih. It is pointed out that in Australia and New Zealand alone there are over ten million carcases awaiting shipment. in addition to largo stocks m Brazil ami South Africa, and that while (hern is a shortage of nearly a million sheep in Great Britain this is more than Balanced toy the live cattle, which arc above the normal.” The letter concludes; “The case for de-control presented by the meat trade is such a strong one, and the present position of imported meat is so serious, that, it, is high time the matter was .throught before the House of Commons, and the cards of both sides were laid on the table. Any Government which looks after the interests of the consumers will have to face the opposition of the landlords and farmers, strongly entrenched 1 at the- Board nf Agriculture, making enormous profit out of milk and moat, and threatening all- sorts of tilings if their profits are touched.”