IMPERIAL PURCHASES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 166, 9 April 1920, Page 8

IMPERIAL PURCHASES

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-THREE MILLIONS

WHAT NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE

HAS BROUGHT

In a statement dated March 31, Mr. It. Triggs, Controller of the Department of Imperial Government Supplies, shows that within a period of live years the Imperial Government has paid out «E133,091,240 for New Zealand produce commandeered during the war and postwar periods. Notwithstanding the immensity of this sum, it has to be remembered that only the moat has been commandeered for a full five years, the dates on which commandeering operations commenced being as follow Meat, March 3, 1915; cheese, November i, 1915; butter, November 30, 1917; schcclitc, September 20, 1915; wool, December 1, 1916; slipe wool, March 31, 1917; sheepskins, February 5, 1917; hides, March 19, 1917; so that in some instances the amount only represents the return for three, and less than three, years, which makes the total appear to bo all the more staggering. 'i'lio payments made by the Imperial Supplies Department for the various classes of produce since the dates given above aro as follow:—

£ Frozen meat 4i,344.,503 Cheese, 1915-16 season 918,101 Cheese, 1916-17 season 3,271,982 Cheese, 1917-18 season 5,013,295 Cheese, 1918-19 season 5,034,389 Cheese, 1919-1920 season 4,289,096 Butter, 1917-18 season 2,829,032 Butter, 1918-19 season 2,920,139 Butter, 1919-20 sjason 2,387,929 Butter equalisation funds 794,890 Scheelite ...... 175,970 Wool 49,600,913 Freezing companies' slipe wool 5.880,344 Sheepskins 2,573,155 Hides 735,663 Other business 1,735,836 Total ,£133,091,240