OUR MEAT EXPORTS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2869, 6 September 1916, Page 6

OUR MEAT EXPORTS

TWELVE MILLIONS PAID OUT. The Imperial Supplies Department, on behalf of the Imperial Government, lias paid out to New Zealand producers to date '£12,033,749 since the Department started purchasing meat m March, 1915. The quantity 60 purchased to date is 975,948 quarters of beef, 3,946,930 carcasses of mutton, and 5,670,792 carcasses of lamb. Already one hundred steamers have delivered cargoes of meat under tho purcha6o scheme and eighteen steamers ! are now on route from the Dominion to tho United Kingdom ivith meat cargoes, and two are loading in the Dominion. Of the meat fleet running since tho scherno started, one has been lost— the Clan .Mactayish. i Incidentally it may be mentioned that the purchase prices originaljv fixed for New Zealand meat and still adhered to are about 41d. per pound for mutton (4.Jd. for prime wethers of under 721b. weight), ai)d the price for lamb is 53d. to 5 5-Bd. per pound; and 4Jd- for prime ox beef. It is understood that the new prices for Australian meat purchased -under the scheme are now 5 l-Bd. for mutton, 6 l-Bd. for lamb, and 4 7-8(1.. for beef for first quality ox, and 4- 3-Bd. for second quality cow. ( It is -possible that New Zealand prices -will be raised in accordance with what has been done in Australia for tlip now season's export. Purchases made by the Imprs-inl.Sup-plies Department for the British Government to date (in addition. to meat) consist of £917.205 for 13,816 tons of cheese and £42,693 (advanced) for 235 tons of scheelite. The Department has also purchased and delivored for tho New Zealand Government butter to tho value of £29,898 and cheese to the value of £14,814. This is for tho transports and .eamps. ■ •