Price Adjustment for Heavyweight Wethers

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 57, 10 March 1944, Page 4

Price Adjustment for Heavyweight Wethers

The announcement in yesterday’s | “Times” regarding' the decision of the , Government to remove an obvious anom- . aly in the meat price schedule as affect- ' ing heavyweight wethers will be wel- - coined by producers. The “Times” drew attention to the fact that the new season’s meat schedule actually penalised producers for doing exactly what they were < asked to do—produce more meat. Early in January it was pointed out that at the then current prices a 721 b. 4-th. wether, , prime mutton, was worth 27s 9d, while a ' prime quality 4-th. wether weighing 731 b., just one pound more, was only worth 17s sd, a difference of lUs sd. Under such a schedule the farmer who put that extra pound of meat on his fat wethers stood i to lose 10s 5d per head and that fact de- , stroyed all incentive to increase the quantum of meat. The Government and the Meat Board have realised this anomaly and in yes- ( terday’s “Times” it was announced that' i the schedule had been amended to pro- : vide that fat wethers weighing up to 801 b. will be paid for at the rate lixed for the C5/721b. grading, that is, -lid per lb. :&arly in January the price for the 731 b. and over wether was 23d per lb. This belated recognition of the need for a schedule more in keeping with wartime conditions and requirements is to be commended and the adjustment made may perhaps lead ultimately to the recasting of the schedule entirely since there are several other prices which call for examination in the light of the call for the utmost meat production. «