A FOOLISH POLICY.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 December 1915, Page 5

A FOOLISH POLICY.

FARMERS KEEPING PRODUCE BACK STATEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. A matter of very great importanco to farmers of New Zealand was mentioned to-night by the Prime Minister. Recently some refrigerating steamers have left the Dominion with their insulated space only partily filled with frozen meat. Several factors have been inducing farmers to hold back their stock from the factories, but their fiction means that refrigerating space is wasting, and the Prime Minister fears that if meat comes forward with a rush later there may be a recurrence of last season's troubles, when the shorts age of space was reported.

Jlr. Massey mentioned that the Star of Scotland would leave to-morrow 35<Kl carcases short of her full consignment, after waiting ten days in order to fill her space. The ICakaramca had left on November *2B with a shortage of 1500 carcases; the Knikoura had sailed ten days previously with her lower insulated hold filled with general cargo; and the Orari was now loading general cargo ia her insulated space. Butter was coming forward very well, but it did not occupy much space on the steamer, and the position deserved the attention of farmers. The abnormal season and plentiful grass, with high prices for store stock, and the lata 3hear, were all contributing to induco farmers to delay sending fat stock to the freezer; but in their own interest* they should do all possible to keep the freezing works going and get the produce away as soon as possible, so aa to avoid congestion later, with whiell neither the freezers nor the shipping companies would be able to cope.