MEAT PROSPECTS

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21418, 12 May 1941, Page 2

MEAT PROSPECTS

LOSSES FORECAST NEED FOR PRESENT HELP POSITION WITH WETHERS (By Telegraph—Press Association) GISBORNE, Sunday A serious view was taken by sheepfarmers of the Gisborne and East Coast districts of the restrictions placed on the killing of wethers for export, and a meeting of farmers decided to urge the Government to honour its promise to purchase all wethers available for export so long as there was space in freezing works. The meeting decided to send Mr C. H. Williams, president of the Poverty Bay and East Coast Sheep Owners’ Union to Wellington to take part in a deputation to the Minister of Marketing, the Hon. J. G. Barclay, on Tuesday. Mr J. E. Benson, president of the Farmers’ Union, said the Dominion executive’s greatest concern was the Government’s apathy in regard to the future. “I do not think those at head know their jobs,” he concluded. Mr F. Hair: They know their job too well. I think the crux of the whole thing is that they are dodging payment. Sheep Statistics Mr S. D. Reeves, district representative on the Meat Board’s electoral committee, said the Government had promised to buy all meat this year, and he was told that the promise would be honoured. He questioned whether New Zealand was 1,000,000 sheep short of last season, as had been suggested by the Government, and said that New Zealand killed usually about 1,000,000 wethers, and last year the total was 1,300,000. This season 497,000 had been killed to date, and only about one-third of the four-tooths remaining would go to the works under present conditions.

The chairman said that next year farmers had to look forward to the prospect of some staggering losses, and the position this year, therefore, should not be aggravated. No one could say what the position would be next season. He urged that all the meat possible should be placed in freezing works. Farmers should not be penalised today for what might not happen six months hence.