The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 1915. FREEZING SPACE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 161, 12 March 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 1915. FREEZING SPACE.

(With whicli is incorporated. The Tni hape Peat ‘>.na Wa.ixnarino News.)

Newspapers of every shade of political colour are freely discussing the meat export question wth a seriousness which denotes its real gravity. The most extraordinary aspect seems to bo that while the Government can commandeer every sheep, lamb and bullock that farmers possess fit for market, it cannot control a foot of freezing space, because a certain number of individuals have contracted.for it, or booked it, speculatively, with a hope of having sufficient stocic coming forward to enable them to utilise it. The country finds itself in £ time of great national peril, a crisis-has arisen in which the food supply of the Empire lias to be garnered and administered by the Government, as a measure against the possibility of the Empire’s destruction. We have the food in plenty; there are a certain number of ships to carry it to where it is required, but there stands a few men between the meat and the ships—a very few; so immovable, so powerful, dominating absolutely the whole position that neither people nor Governments can get past them, and it seems that unless .producers meekly submit to having this intermediate profit scooper between them and the British Government they are faced with loss too serious to contemplate. The amazing thing is that law, if it is law, enables the Government to commandeer the stock belonging to farmers which lias already cost them a very great deal of money, while it is quite helpless to do anything with freezing space on which nothing is paid until it is utilised. We are not unmindful of the saeredness in which all contracts should be observed, but we also know that in a time of national peril Governments have never hesitated to take what is required for national safety from any subject, and if it has a monetary value it should be paid for fairly, If any intermediary incu-

bus stands in the way Government should shoulder the responsibility for its removal and not leave it to lie bought out by men away back on their farms in the country. The Empire needs their stock; Government has fixed the price to be paid for it, and none have demurred. Therefore, it seems unreasonable that after a price is fixed, they should bo indivindally left to fight a third party. The transaction has become of national concern and the Goverment should see it through, or is the Government going to say, “We have bought the meat from you ‘off the hooks’; you get it there the best way you can”? A Government supporting city journal remarks that “the position now is that the farmer will have to sell to the exporter who is lucky enough to have space booked at the’ freezing works,’ These words may be profitably pondered over by stock-selling farmers; they disclose the whole position. If these exporters arclucky enough to have booked at the freezing works there is no power on earth to remove them; farmers’ stock can be taken, men can be called up and sent to shed their blood for the nation’s safety, but these bookers of freezing space nothing can touch —they are beyond the pale of all law. It is an absurd contention, of course, for if there was the slightest desire all trouble could be removed by the Government in an hour. We were led to understand that we had in power a farmers’, a producers’ Government, but it seems more reasonable to asume that it represent.' interests that are very much opposed to the farmer. Freezing companies are unconcerned; it matters not to them; their space is booked and they, in honour, cannot break away. There seems to be a consensus of opinion among farmers throughout the Dominion that circumstances, as they are, will militate against tin highest Government price being obtained for stock by all but a lucky flew.

Concurrent with-the increase in. value ot of all classes of stock ther'e comes a greater demand for byproducts, and, generally, these who live by tickling the soil, grazing stock or dairying are on a good wicket at present. A farmer of the Taahape district obtained £3 16/4 at the last Wan. ganui hide and skin sale for a bullock hide which weighed 78 lbs. This represents a value of llfjd. per lb., and it is not surprising that, when the cost of transformation into leather is added, bootmakers and saddlers have to pay a very high price for leather.