The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 1915 MEAT EXPORT.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 155, 5 March 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 1915 MEAT EXPORT.

(With which ia iiieorporatad The Tai hapo Post 'ui3 Waimarinii News.)

Sheepowners will be • interested in the schedule of pi'ices for all grades of meat commandeered for Imperial purposes which is published to-day in another column. It is now generally known that these prices and all conditions Avere arranged and agreed upon at a conference between freezing companies and the Government, at which, we are assured by what took place at a meeting of southern pastoralists, not one really practical sheepf armor was present. The Imperial Government has endorsed the prices and conditions and the Prime Minister has authorised the Press to state that he is ready to commence business at once. There are one or two details of the scheme, however, which it would have been as well to have submitted to practical men. We know from what the Premier himself has said that there is a shortage of insulated shipping, of two boats at least, for this month, and as the sheepfarmer has to seJl "off the hooks" he may experience very considerable difficulty in getting his fat,stock "on the hooks." Mr; Massey says he is only waiting to know what quantity he is to ship. This again involves the assumption that there are to be limitations, Although that may not be the ease, still it adds to the presumpive difficulties with respect to shipping and cool storage; Owing to ,the .break* down of shipipng facilities cold stores have become congested and buying, has been reduced, and in some instances almost suspended. There is very little cold storage available, and it would be interesting to our sheepf arm ers to know who controls, that little, because if any options are held over the little cold storage space freezing companies, .at present have,

it accentuates -the difficulties they are likely to meet with in getting their stock "on the hooks' 'just when it is in the condition to put there. Although the decision to buy "off the hooks" may work satisfactorily, farmers are en- \ titled to some enlightenment j from the Premier on the points ! raised. It is most reasonable to assume that the regular export buyer of stock could not carry on their business in a satisfactorily profitable Avay in the absence of some sort of arrangement for ready storage, and what sheepfarmers want to know is, are these arrangements or options still current, or is the Government perfectly free to take stock from any quarter just when it has reached a prime condition? If farmers have to wait until the freezing works can find room considerable loss will be occasioned by their stock going off condition, a loss that they alone will have to bear. The chairman of the Christehurch branch of the Farmers ' Union is strongly of opinion that one or more producers should have been invited to attend the conference that formulated details, so that every aspect of the question that is of vital importance to farmers might have been discussed. There is not likely to be any opposition to the Government's arrangement to buy "off the hooks" provided they have assured a perfectly clear fairway to the works for farmers by removing all the speculator element. A good deal of concern will be removed from the minds of producers if Mr. Massey will make a plain frank statement about the points raised