FROZEN MEAT.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 January 1919, Page 7

FROZEN MEAT.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS. Speaking to a representative of the Press on Friday, the manager of one of the largest refrigerating companies in Christchurch said that he was of the opinion that it would be very much safer and generally more advantageous to all concerned if the Imperial Government continued its commandeer of the Dominion's meat until the end of next season at least A large section of the farmers and producers of the Dominion had already expressed their opinion that it would be advisable to extend t'tte weat contract with the Imperial Government to the same period as the wool contract, which will include the 1919-1920 clip, and in this he was entirely with them. At the present time, he said, the cool stores of New Zealand were full of meat, which all belonged to the Imperial Government, and judging by the outlook for shipping, it appeared that the position in a nutshell was that a, vear's supply of ships would have to endeavour to take a two years' production of meat. With the world's markets in the upset condition they were, an extremely complicated and most hopeless condition, commercially speaking, would arise if the market was now declared free and open, and it would be exceedingly difficult for private operators to do business at all on anything like a sound basis—any business done would be of an almost purely speculative nature. If, however, the Imperial Government continued to buy all the Dominions' meat till the end of 1920 sason, that is to say until June or July, 1920, there would be a very much better chance of markets regaining normality, and then business could be done upon a reasonably certain basis, which would obviously be very much more satisfactory both for the producers and business men. He was aware of the fact that there was an agitation amongst a certain section of farmers, more particularly in the North Island, for a free market, but he would not like to see it yet, as the position of private owners of meat waiting shipment would not be a very happy one.