SAVING OF FAT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26619, 15 November 1947, Page 8

SAVING OF FAT

LOW PRICE PAID LITTLE INCENTIVE TO COLLECTORS LARGE QUANTITY WASTED The opinion that the only way in which butchers and farmers would be encouraged to save fat was to offer them a worth-while price was expressed yesterday by several Dunedin people interested in preventing the waste of tallow and fat that is believed to be taking place at the present time. It was stated that New Zealand was receiving over £IOO a ton for tallow sold overseas and yet the price paid for the highest quality product in the Dominion was £37 and more often under £3O. It was contended that it should be possible for a higher price to be paid in .New Zealand and that if it were, fat which was wasted to-day would then be saved. Discussion in House During the past week the waste of tallow in New Zealand was discussed in the House of Representatives when members stated that purchases in the Dominion, according to the last annual figures, totalled £679,889 and sales £1,300,000, the difference being paid into the meat stabilisation and meat pool accounts. Opposition memberg pointed out that world parity for tallow was £l3O a ton and yet in New Zealand the price paid was no incentive to farmers or country butchers to save fat. A case was quoted in which a farmer received 6s for 601 b of rendered fat and in another case 2s was received for 401 b of fat. Instances were reported of country butchers burning fat for fuel. Replying, the Minister of Finance, Mr Nash, said that the Government received 5s a ton for buying and handling costs and that if there was any profit it went into the War Expenses Account. Inquiries made in Dunedin confirmed that those who were in a position to save fat were dissatisfied with the price paid , It was stated that until recently the price was not more than £2O a ton, and while the price had been increased it was still far short of the figure that should be paid. There was no inducement for farmers tq save fat, but it was considered that they would do so if the price were sufficiently high. Plenty of Fat Available It was stated that there was plenty of fat that could be collected and this had been proved by the success of the appeal made by Mr P. Barling for fat for direct shipment to Britain. There was no inducement for country butchers to save fat, and it was believed that large stations must waste great quantities of fat every year. A - Dunedin butcher stated that his firm sold a large quantity of dripping over the counter and also had a contract for supplying fat to a city firm. At one time this butchery sold thousands of 21b tins of fat for sending to Britain. The Government had raised the price of high-grade fat it used for this purpose by 2d a pound but would not raise the retail .price of the fat. There was a fair amount of shrinkage in the process and the containers were expensive. Consequently, it had not been possible to carry on purchasing the fat and packing it, and the public was deprived of a means of helping the people of Britain. “If a fair price was paid for fat I am sure there would be plenty forthcoming,” the butcher said. “ I can see no reason why we should not have been allowed an economic price for the fat we were packing for sending to Britain.”