IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT SUPPLIES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 308, 24 September 1919, Page 10

IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT SUPPLIES

The purchase of the Dominion's primary products by tho Imperial-Government has been continued during the past year.' Tho contract for tho purchaso of frozen meat commenced on March 3, 1915, and from that date to March 31, .1919, , the following shipments were made: 2,452,259 quarters beef,.-8,392,329 carcasses mutton, 9,80-1,311 carcasses lamb. The Imperial Government agreed to extend the contract for the purchaso of frozen meat to June 30, 1920, under the existing terms' with an additional condition to the effect that if there should bo any accumulation of meat in store on tho date mentioned the meat purchased by the Imperial Government should have preference of shipment over meat killed subsequent to June 30, 1920 i Tho Imperial Government also assumes ownership of the frozen meat after it has been in store six weeks, and provision is made for the- payment of an advance of 75 per cent., the balance of 25 per cent, being paid when shipment is effected. i The requisition of sheepskins couvmenc- '. Ed on February 5, 1917, and since tliat date to March 31, 1919, 4,052,415 skins 'have been purchased and distributed to fellmongers for treatment. During the term of the requisition of hides, which ceased on March .28, 1918, 370,508 hides were purchased. These figures include hides obtained from killings to March 28 and valued at a subsequent date. The 1918-19 greasy wool clip was purchased by the Imperial authorities, on the same conditions as for the previous year, and since tho commencement of the wool requisition in December, 1910. tho total quantity of greasy wool paid for amounted to 1,518,591 bales, valued at .«30.814,755;1n addition, since March.3l, 1917.- . 08.959 bales of freezing companies' slipe w,ool have been piirohased for valuation in the United Kingdom, and 03,201 bales have boon purchased under New .Zealand valuations, the payments to date totalling ~£3,600,957. The allotment of scouring Wool during the 1918-19 season was more than double tho quantity scoured annually prior to the inception of the requisition, the increase having been made in accordance with the instructions of the Imperial Government to save shipping' space. Satisfaction has been expressed by the Im. uerial Government at the quality of tho work carried out by tho New: Zealand wool-scourers. Tlie conditions for purchase of the 1918-19 season's output of cheese were similar to those obtaining during previous years, the price being fixed at per pound f.o.b. for first grade cheese, and loju'. per pound f.o.b."for secondsrrade cheese. The cost of storage was to be paid by the Imperial Government if the cheese remained in store over an overage- period of two ■ months. Crates to the number of 217,937 of this season's cheese were shipped to March 31, 1919, whilst tho shipments .since tho inception of tho requisition on November 4, 1915, total 1.077.628 crates, and total payments iE12.738.052. The arrangements for purchase provided for the payment of v an advance of approximately 90 per cent, after the cheese had remained in grading sloro over a period of fourteen days, and 1 payment of tho balance on shipment. . The purchase price for tho 1918-19 and following season's'butter output was fixed at 181s. per hundredweight' for firstgrade- creamery butter. Tho price for second wade was arrived at by a deduction of Od. per hundredweight for each half grade point by which the butter) fell below first grade. Whey, dairy, and milled butter was also included in the purchase at relatively reduced prices. The number of boxes of this season's but-, ter shipped have been 647,139 boxes. From the commencement of the requisition operations. (November 20, 1917) to March 31. 1919,«<th0 shipment of butter totalled 1,371,296 boxes, and payments i65.651.G19. ■'■'■■ •■- ' : The purchase of scheelite commenced on Rcptcinber\2fl, 1915, and to March' 31, 1919. 690 tons were shipped, valued at .£135.213. Under the terms of tho requisition tho Imperial Government contracted to ourchhso all scheelite produced in tho Dominion during the period of the war and for. six months thereafter, but, in Maroh, 1919, the Imperial Government, intimated its intention to- cancel the contracts for scheelite from oil parts of the Empire, and to accept only that shipped to April 30, 1919. It was pronosed to take this action jn view of the fact that stocks in tho United Kingdom, and afloat were, sufficient .for requirements for a period of .eighteen months, and. the Ministry was of opinion that if contracts were continued and production thus stimulated, stocks would accumulate to such an extent tbat the position at the expiration of the contract would have the effect of completely closing the Homo market to Empire producers. Tho Imperial authorities promised that full consideration would be given to claims for losses resulting i,rom the cancellation of the contract,- and proposed that producers' claims for compensation should be based on the probable production of scheelite for the Oration of the war, and for ™ months thereafter, and -the prob. b] profit per ton which would have accrued had the estimated production above referred to been obtained. This offer was übmitted to the producers, who expressel the opinion that the specific perform"n eeof he contract was tho only course to be adorted which would operate fair* in the producers* interests, in. Mew of the impossibility of ascertaining even °„ approximate estimate of. the probable output on account of the erratic and Moerhfe disposition-of the scheelite in the c aims Negotiations are stil proceeding with the Ministry of. Munitions, , and it is expected that a basis of settlement factory to producers will shortly be reached. .. The total payments made .by the Dement from March 3. 1.915. to March 31, 1919, amount, to .£95,909,000, made up as under:— - j*™ ™* -RES Cheese ,''™ Butter 5,651.8W Scheelite . ™-™ Wool 40.475,712 Sheepskins 1.581.413 : Hides ..'.........'. .....'•725,339 ' Other business. . 1,V32,931i . .