IMPORTS OF MEAT

Press, Volume C, Issue 29501, 1 May 1961, Page 13

IMPORTS OF MEAT

Hawaii Bill today. gin and had been riding smoothly through the House of Representatives before the affected meat importers and the New Zealand and Australian Governments were aware of it, U.P.L said. After the aims and aftereffects of the measure were outlined at a legislative hearing. the chairman of the House' Judiciary Committee. Mr Robert Change, said: “I see no real reasons for the bill.” He said he believed it would be killed before coming up for a vote again in the House. The bill was originally introduced into the Senate and House by the Hawaii Cattlemen's Council as a measure designed to protect Hawaii’s meat industry and consumers against ungraded foreign beef. U.P.L said. The bill would require all beef, veal or calf sold on the island of Oahu to be graded by United States standards ‘Opponents of the measure testified at the hearings earlier this week that the proposed bill very likely

was unconstitutional both at United States State and Federal level. They noted that New Zealand and Australian meat could not be actually graded by United States inspectors because the bone had been removed from it for shipping purposes. Also it came frozen and would have to be thawed to be inspected. Both New Zealand and Australia sent their Trade Commissioners to Hawaii to watch the progress of the legislation. They feared it might set off a chain reaction throughout the United States and result in serious curtailment of what has grown into a 100-million-dollar-a-year export trade to the United States. It is not known when the final decision will be made on the bill.