CHEESE. AND MEAT PURCHASES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2632, 1 December 1915, Page 8

CHEESE. AND MEAT PURCHASES

SCHEME GOING ON WELL

Tho Prime Minister stated yesterday that the cheese purchase scheme which the Government ha' undertaken on behalf of the Imperial Board of Trade is going on woll. Replies to the Government's circulars to factories requisitioning at the price fixed, a certain percentage of their output had been Te--1 ceiued from dairy (factories all over country, and the replies were all satisfactory, some companies being ®n- ' thusiastie in their approval of the Government's action. Mr. Massey said that the new 6ea- : son's meat was beginning to come into the works, but' as yet no very large numbers of sheep were offering. One of the reasons was the plenitude of . grass in all : tho sheep districts, and also tlin fact that tho wet weather had hamperefl shearing. He did not think .the reported mortality among shorn sheep during the recent cold weather had beon at all ■widespread, nor had he heard :that it .had been anywhere very serious. Mr. Massey expects to have a very good . meat season. ■ . Somei ajixiety was felt as to whether the drain of young men out of the country would make it difficult to man the meat , works, as a shortage was expected of men for shearing, harvesting, and other seasonal farm work. No difficulty. whatever is being experienced in finding men for tho two big works in t Wellington. On ; the contrary, the applications for employment have been -■ wther moro numerous' than usual..