IMPERIAL SUPPLIES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 192, 9 May 1919, Page 2

IMPERIAL SUPPLIES

SOME HUGE FIGURES

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER

Up till May II last; tho total of sums paid by the Imperial Government for supplies purchased through the Government of New Zealand amounted to dCIOO,'JM),BT9. These figures were supplied to ii reporter by the Hon. ]). IT. Gutlirie, who, in the absence of Mr. Massey, is in charge of tho Imperial Supplies Department. "The sum is. certainly a laree one," Mr. Guthrio remarked, "nnd if should be of public interest to see huw it is made up. The largest payment has been made on account of greasy wool-1173 millions in round figures j meat follows— nearly 35 millions; and butter and cheese —19J millions—are third in order of amount. Take meat first in historical order. It was requisitioned as far back as March\3, 1915. The object of the Imperial Government securing tho New Zealand frown meat supplies wns twofold, but mainly for the feeding .of the Army. Beef was urgently wanted for this purpose, mutton also, and lamb was understood to be for civilian consumption. Well, the price paid for meat, to be exact, was .£34,859,475, and it is represented by 2,469,083 quarters of beef, B,s62,o9B'carcasses mutton, and 10,025,607 carcasses lamb. There is still in store (as at April 15) , meat equivalent 10. (5,793,832 carcasses. The largest shipments from any one port during ' the whole period of the meat requisition were:—Auckland 494,081 quarters beef, Wellington 2,433,658 carcasses mutton, and Lyttelton 2,591,571 carcasses lamb. "Cheese was next requisitioned. The first qimntity shipped for the 1915-16 seneon amounted to 189,502 crates. The total quantities of cheese that; have been purchased amount to 1,859,901 crates, and payments in respect to cheese amounted to ,£13,470,529. • There are (April 28) J95,024 crates in store awaiting Elnpmeiit,. was not taken until last sea.son. the total -payments in respect to that amount to .£5,847,024. The total export amounts- to 1,347,816'b0xe5; ...ami there are still (April 30) 111,782 boxes in store awaiting shipment.. "Coming to wool-the biqgest item. That was not under requisition until December lj 1911). The greasy and scoured wool and fcllmoiujers' sline. wool total m value, and have been paid for, £37,144,102. The number of bales paid for is 1,557,204. There are. 652.057 bales available for shipment. The operations in connection with tlie requisition of- freezing companies' slipe wool'were not commenced nntii March 31, 1917, and with respect to Mich wools payments aggregating ,£{.fl6R.7]s have ken made. Most of the wool has been shipped to the United ■Kingdom on account of the Imperial Government, but some 118,258 bales of greasy wool and 9399 bales of elipe wool have'ken shipned on account of other Governments. The. wool business, lias been.a very .heavy factor in. the transactions nf the Imperial Supplies Department. Sheepskins and hides, vmiwonting values of .£1,651,352 and £!W re--actively, have been- purchased by the Department; also scheelitc, from which tunestic acid 'is obtained, .has ken ,renuisition«l since us far back as September 20. 1914, nnd with respect to that commodity, £138:540 has-been paid out, representing eix hundred nnd ninetv tons, 'Other business , rovers a lnvgc varietv of commodities purchased on Imperial Government account, nnd if represents a to*nl of .-ei .733,469." . -,-■/., Mr. Guthrie wns nsked whnt had been lost at sea in transit durinstlie war period nnd through enemy action. He put the losses at 18,829 quarters nt beef, 197.340 carcasses-of mutton and lam l>. fiS.S+C. cnit-es rhwc 9G68 bales wool, nnc 18' tons of scheelite." Tlie figures are "Wsr figures' in a very pnec : al sense, ami Mr. Gnthrie thought tlie nublio would appreciate then dimensions,'aid vhnt the returns from this vnst amoiiMt of produce represented lo the Dominion. - '