IMPERIAL SUPPLIES.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 October 1917, Page 8

IMPERIAL SUPPLIES.

OPERATIONS OF THE BOAKD. THE SHIPPING PROBLEM. SALE OP DAIRYING OUTPUT. By Wire.—Our Parliamentary Reporter. Wellington, Last Night. The report dealing with the operations of the Imperial Supplies Board was placed before the House to-day by the Prime Minister. The report gave rise to a lengthy debate. Replying to points raised by various speakers, Mr. Massey said he had been told the Government ought to prevent undue profits being made from New Zealand meat in the United Kingdom, by the opening of retail shops, if necessary. The fact was that New Zealand had nothing to do with the sale of the meat in Britain. The Imperial Government took the whole output f.o.b. in New Zealand, and paid for it here. Then, lie had been told that the Government should release meat from stores for local consumption. That was exactly what the Government was doing. Any reliable retailer, on the recommendation of the local body, could take meat from the stores at the price the Imperial Government was paying for it. Tlie. situation with regard to shipping was difficult. A pessimistic cablegram had appeared in the newspapers on the previous day, and he had regretted its appearance. He did not think it should have been published. "So far as my information goes," he added, "we will have enough shipping for this month and next month, that is for October and November; beyond that I cannot go, because 1 have not the information. 1 have the utmost confidence in the Shipping Controller, and I believe that ho will do everything possible to get our produce away from this country." With regard to the cheese, the Imperial authorities had informed him that they would take nearly the whole, of the output of New Zealand for the coming season at a price to be arranged. The price had not yet been arranged. The quantity to be taken was 50,000 tons, and he did not think the factories would produce mucli more than that this season. He had been informed that there would be sufficient shipping to lift practically the whole of last season's wool clip before the new season's w ! ool came in. There was very little of last season's cheese left in store, not more than 0000 crates altogether. The butter season had commenced, and there was still a considerable quantity of butter in store. The Government would do its best to get the old butter away, and lie thought it would succeed in doing so, ''then, if the butter purchase falls through, we have another string to our bow," added Mr. Massey, •'and I do not think we will need to go to America. I think we will be able to olace our butter on the London market, though we may not be able to get it away very quickly." The Imperial authorities contended, in regard to the price of cheese, that the price paid to New Zealand producers last season was equivalent to the price paid to the Canadians.