NEW ZEALAND MEAT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 308, 24 September 1919, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND MEAT

ITS DISPOSAL IN BRITAIN

SIR WALTER BUCHANAN'S :\rr .-;;i; r : views

!■■-■• ■■■-. "7 ..- ..THE POOLING ARRANGEMENT

;'■ Sir Walter Buchanan, M.L.C., who has •just returned from a visit to the United .; via America, made some inquiries in/Britain regarding tlio handling of-New Zealand produce. He told a '■"'Dominion' reporter yesterday that . he : . /had not been able to cover the ground. ..'• in the timo at his disposal, \ but he had beon ablo to gather some rinformation>pf interest to tho producers 'of the Dominion. ■ A suggestion had been made in this country during 'his absenco that the Impcrial ■ Government should be asked to ' put New Zealand meat on the British .market independently of American liieat, - in order that a lower retail price might W quoted and the consumption stimulated. Replying'to a question on this I .point, Sir Walter Buchanan said he. did . 'not think the facts were fully under- ' stood. Any idea, that the stores in tho. ■■' United Kingdom wero full of meat, • '\ winch required to bo consumod in order that stocks on this side of the world might be lifted, was quite erroneous. • "■' The British stores were empty, not full. "The congestion in tho New Zealand 6tores was due to the shipping filiort.age, not to lack of' a. market-for the ''meat in the United Kingdom '"It is not easy to go into this question without dealing wjth it at great length," •■'said Sir Walter Buchanan. "Now Zear land meat is purchased by tho Imperial : : Government until June, next, and is de- ■■ :■ livered in-London at' the price agreed upon between the Imperial Government; on the one hand and tho freezing-x:oni- ' -panies • and producers on the ■•other hand, plus freight, insur- . ance, and a considerable amount of J- ; storage. This storage-is paid by the ' -Imperial Government to the freezing companies. During the war and for .••■"•'gome time subsequent to the.war all the • beef from Now Zealand, all the wether \ mutton.'and"some 0 f the ewe mutton went to the war front for the use. of tho armies. This meat did not go to the London market at all. The lamb and any part of the ewe mutton not sent to the front were put upon the London market at a price stipulated by the Imperial Government. / ~ ."The surplus meat, using that term to describe the sent to tho London ■ -. market, had been nominated in New Zealand to so to certain agents, who had .been, handling meat from the same s : sources in-pre-war, days.' A commission .was stipulated by the Imperial Govern- •■ ment. and' also the profit to bo made by ••'the retailer, before the meat.was placed nnon the market in the United Kingdom.. Concurrently with this arrangement, beef was coming from South Amer- ■■: lea and was being put upon the markot ; at a price fixed by the Imperial Govern•nient. Beef was coming at the samo ■ilime from the United States, and at a period when the British Government was in doubt as to whether sufficient sup.- • plies for military and civilian purposes ■ would be. forthcoming, the Imperial au- ■ thorities in order to guard against a . -shortage, paid as high as. Is. 3d., per pound for meat in tho United States. This price was -paid practically to the American Meat Tru9t. ' "Now.'.the average lauded cost of all ' this meat—lamb principally from ■ New " Zealand, beef principally from tho Unit\ed States and the Argentine—was much h'ielier than the cost per pound of the .surplus meat from New If the British' Government put the New Zealand' meat upon the London marketlow landed cost, plus.an /ordinary-.,trade-profit, the immediate re"siilt would be a run on the New Zealand . meat.' All the-available New Zealand .meat would be absorbed quickly, for it forms pii.lv. a small part of the imported ■ .meat used in'the United Kingdom, and -then the market would have to fall back • upon the dearer Argentine and United '' .States. meat. Obviously, the. British K Government could maintain'the cheaper ■price only, until tho small New Zealand ' supply was exhausted. It was to over- " cime this 'difficulty that the Imperial authorities, made a compromise. They, put the.. Anterican -meat on the market at.aprico that meant a loss, ■ wliilo they have made a considerable pro•fit upon tho Now Zealand meat. They -felt!that no other course; was open to -them, than to fix. a compromise price ." that would cover ail the meat placed on' : the market through official channels." -Sir Walter Buchanan added that he "■'■'■ di d" not think tho producers of New Zealand a3 a body would wish to go bacfc 'the bargain that had been maao. even if-that were possible. '■ Tdiore had been, difficulties and' disappointments, and he 'understood as well as anyone else -the troubles that had arisen in the matter of shipping. His views on some asipects of the snipping problem had been set/forth in. a letter published.in tlhat ■morning's''Dominion. But the spirit .animating the producers in making the bargain had been, the desire to assist the Imperial -, Government to prosecute . .the war... successfully. The meat had

Aeen needed for war purposes, and in .discussing tho arrangements mado by.'fUie /Imperial. authorities that fact should not he forgotten. The British Government lad been compelled to pay the very high price asked by the Americans, since at the time when .the purchase was arranged the date, of the' end of the war 'was uncertain, and there was doubt if adequate supplies of meat would he available for the use of the troops. 'The .-methods of handling meat at : Smithfield were condemned by Sir Walter Buchanan, wlho stated that ho had

seen produce bem» subjected to trea.t----i ment of a very -undesirable kind.. Meat \Tvas allowed to lie on tlio ground, and was' exposed to dirt in other ways. There "!might nave been some excueo for disorganisation during the war, but there was ".80-'exciise for tho continuance of! -snch conditions, and the matter ought to receive attention., i