MEAT COMMANDER.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3401, 4 February 1920, Page 6

MEAT COMMANDER.

TO CEASE IN JULY NEXT.

DIFFICULT PROBLEMS AHEAD.

SHORTAGE OF SHIPPING SPACE.

Some very interesting problems are raised ‘by the decision of ’the Imperial Government, cabled last week. that the “Commandeer." of New Zealand frozen meat shall cease on June 30 next. The chief factor in the situation is shipping. W=hile the Imperial Government is buying frozen‘ meat, and paying storage charge at the rate of three thirty-seconds of a penny per pound per month, the question of Shipping does not greatly concern the producer. With’ the reStora.ti'oll of a free market, however, there will be no guarantee of ‘ships to take away free New Zealand produce, while the Dominion stores, at present about twothirds full of Imperial meat, may not be emptied in time for the next killing season, and as a matter of fact the present South" Island killing season extends for a month or more beyond the end of June. It seems un-I likely, also, that the Imperial authorities can restore to New Zealand the’ market that existed before the \_V'dl'.’ Meat rationing at Home has -l:1elpnrl to affect the market, and even if ship-' ping were available at present to take the free meat, it would be a conlpe-‘.i--tor with the Imperial comrnandem-ed meat. ‘I I ' ‘" . SHIPPING PROSPECTS. ‘

The shipping of frozen meat ff-31' the year ended November, 1919, was \'Gl‘.V much more rapifi than during the preceding twelve months, and the shipments as set out in the Decelnber Abstract of Statistics were as folldws:——- . ‘

_ .lZ Montns 1:4 .LV.Lolll:l':'s ‘ ' Nov. 1918. Nov., 1910. Cwt. Cwt. ‘1 Beef . -751,546 794,957 ‘ Mutton 892,340 7,769,399 Lamb 462,509 930,111 Totals 2,106,395 3,544,280 November, in particular, was a busy month, and the comparative figures; __were as fo11ows:~ ‘ -2. _ ’ Cwt. Cwt. .§_ Beef ~ 2 M 27,544. I Muttojl 19,510 273,736 Lamb 4:- ~ "___._‘ I {A ‘ V M L _._ 3-,.-‘"1 ? if TOl-ails 29.543 420,361 I

Since last. l\”ovenfbcr, however, there has been a sllaelgeningn of the shipping from Canterbury. TheVßellllll‘Cl'3 loaded in the middle of November, and apart. from a later load-I ing at Timaru there has been no meat | shipped from the province. The vu.<—i sels in sight are the Port Pirie. which may get in this month. and the,Ru=3.— pehu, both of which could take 21 comparatively small quaiitity ot'meat. To add to the.poor prospect, it is stated that the stores at Home are congested, and that ,there are a num'ber of boats that cannot discharge in consequence. ' POSITION OF FREEZING COJMPANIES. Sir “George Clifford, chairman of] directors of the "Canterbury Frozen Meat Company, was not disposed to comment on the position other than to say that it would have been a great convenience if the commandeer could have been continued until September 30, and iiegoffations in that! direction were proceeding. Mr‘VV. Murray, general manager of~ the New Zealand Refrigerating Com-‘ pany, said that in view of the large quantity of meat in the Dominion the freezing companies had’ been consistently urging the continuation of? the commandeer for a further’ period‘ to permit the unrestricted trading next year without the disability of; large qu';-lntities of Government meat being held at the same time. “We are not averse to the discontinuance of the CC‘lXl’lll3.lldee]‘,” Mr Muray continued, “except that we think it is premature. Any disabiliity, however, will be removed if the Imperial Government will provide sufiicient shipping to ensure the stores: being cleared or practically cleared! of Government meat by the end of the Present year. If they can do that 110 exception could be taken to the I‘9moV3-1 Of the commandeer.” RePlYinß to a question, Mr Murray? Said that ‘there were Ilppl'o.‘(llllEliCiy‘ £olll’ million flT‘—‘ight wzarcases in .\'ew Zealand at the endof the year. He could say nothing regarding the condition of the stores‘-in.Englaml_ Every, thing depended on the situation of the stores when «the commandeer ended, and more Dartiolllarly in New Zealand when the-;S.8a~S‘0II opened up

835.11. ,’;,.‘q.',T_q Q; I.’. ~ ‘ ._..,‘~_J Another«repl',¢sent,atiY.e of the freezing companies «said "that to ensure for the oompaniesa straight run e‘/ery~ thing ought to besout of New Zealand stores by the end of the season,‘ before the new seasons’ killing commenced. In the North Island, this would be in{October, and in the Smrth Islam; in January. If the stores we,-1-e

fail-1y full in England, and there wasa 131-ge quantity of meat in New Zealand it was going to -be difficult. to find a market for the new se:«‘..sor:'S meat. It was possible, also, that the Imperial Government might require [the whole of its meat before zany free ‘meat could be shipped from New ZeaIland. If the Imperial Government delmanded priority in delivery of its own meat, it would entail‘ ccm.-?.iclerable storage charges to New ‘/:e:t‘=nnd pro-fiucr.-rs, and it would be much pret'er~ able it the“ commandeer could be, continued until‘ September 30. iinless there was a large number of ships to ltake away the meat. At the pre.-‘.el)t rate of shipment, "however, it would take five years to clear the stores. Everything depended on how the JET]perial authorities were going to treat the Dominion in regard to ~'%hlppil.g. A suggestion was that half of the retfrigerated space should be available for free meat and half for II1"D_"I".l."l1‘ meat; but in that case they would be; on the market in competition with one 1 another. If the Impenial r.rlm.t was lifted before the new seéasoxi com-J menced, there need be no anxiety as to the price that the free meat. would] bring on the London market. SHIPPING FROM HAND TO U MOUTH.

“The end of June is a long way 012',” said a shipping represr~n'.-.,ttive. “At present we are diving from hanfl to mouth, and although the to-nnzige available for this 1110I1‘.h and next month, is fairly good no one can predict What is going to .'t.la'ppl.n." He’ added that recently the shipping position had been fairly go-*-rl and it« lllight be expected to improve for there had been a grzulu-11 iiimn;-a.<e in the number of ships launchee ulld the effect might be shown in N-¢\.v Zmiland by the end of June. Even after the close of the commanrle-er, boy-:‘.'rr. the Overseas Board in Vvellington would still allot space for ship.=nen+.s Home, as this was (fO71~‘»l(19"0d to be in the ‘best interests of the country. There were bound to be many applications for space in we nrx-; two or three months for Claiz-x" pi-oiiuce ,and even apples, but as aga.“ll.~rt t.l'liS thele should be a demand from Ameri-"ca for New Zeuland fro-19.11 meat, alld if this market were eX;j)»loi1;<:rl it \vr1.1l(l mean that a. certain alll~')|_lTl‘.‘. of American tonnage would The a\‘ail;~bl«2.---‘_rfi’meg'_ _' ‘ ‘ ‘ml

P.S, SUPERANNUATION BOARD. WELLINGTON, Feb. 2. The following were nominated m_enl'bers of the Public Service Superan-, nuation Board:—Mr J. 0. ‘Donovan (Commissioner of Police), representing police contributors; Messrs H. A. Huggins and J. Mulvey, representing Post and Telegraph contributors; Messrs F. W. Roley (Secretary Labour Department), C. R. C. Robieson (general Manager State Fire Ofiice), and‘ J. W. MacDonald (Assistant-Public Trustee), representing contributors belonging to other departments. As the number nominated does not exceed the number of vacancies, the above have been declared duly elected members of the Board.