MUTTON AND LAMB.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 132, 4 May 1940, Page 6

MUTTON AND LAMB.

RECORD KILLINGS EXPECTED. “Killings of mutton and lamb thi* season again look like being another record, as our kill to date is up, compared with the same date last year, by more than 500,000 lambs and 300,000 ewes.” said the chairman of the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board (Mr T. A. Duncan), in an address at a meeting of the Marton branch of the Farmers’ Union. • Wethers, however, were certa’ily.down, by about 200,000 to date, so that would to some degree counterbalance the killings of lambs and ewes, .he said. ' Producers were to be~ congratulated on the increased production, since the larger killings would be maintained till the end of the . season. All stock were doing well and- there were quite a lot of lambs left to kill, particularly in the South Island. In the early part of the year the board was faced with an over-produc-tion in mutton and lamb carried forward from the previous year. That gave some worry to know what to do with the surplus and how to deal with it at a payable price, and so clear the way for this season’s kill. At that stage the war intervened and temporarily solved the problem. ( .Up to the present the hoard had encountered no shipping difficulties, and had been able to keep the stores sufficiently clear to allow for full killings, but it looked as though the disorganisation caused by the war was going to affect the regularity of sailings, and some work might be affected. Mr Duncan said lie was sure, however, that the Government would do everything possible to provide shipping for the most necessitous cases first, as it was of vital importance that all works should continue killing. From the beginning of the war the board pledged itself to help the .Government in every way possible in its war efforts. That necessitated the board agreeing to the adoption of some changes because of the Government’s war policy, including the sale of meat through the Government’s marketing department to the British Government and the control of hides, tallow and slipe wool. Since the war, however, the policy of allowing freedom of shipment •of , all byproducts, other than those required by the British Government, had had to be altered, and that had caused .delays arid misunderstanding -between the various interests affected, j.!