PRODUCE IN BRITAIN.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 December 1921, Page 8

PRODUCE IN BRITAIN.

DETAILS OE THE STOCKS. STATEMENT BY THE PREMIER. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Dec. 6. Tfie Prime Minister made a further statement in the House concerning the stocks of produce in Britain. A question on the subject had been asked by Mi. W. H. Field (Otaki), who had remarked that the existence of these stocks of old produce was the chief obstacle to the improvement of prices. The information that had reached the Government, Mr. Massey, did pot cover all the points of interest to the producers. He had learned that four days ago the quantity of old meat in London was 20,000 ton< This meat had been sold by the Imperial Government to the merchants, but had not yet reached the retailers or the consumers. He had been told that half this meat was New Zealand and the other naif Australian. It had been suggested that the Government of the United Kingdom. New Zealand and Australia should join in repurchasing this meat, with the object of sending it to the Continent. This proposal required much consideration. No country in the world was so much concerned about meat prices as Argentina, and he had not heard any suggestion that the Argentine people should join in the purchase of the old. meat. Mr. Massey added that he had asked for information regarding the number of boxes of last season’s* butter held in London, but he had not received the figures yet. H<y had asked the Imperial authorities some weeks ago to hold this

old butter off the market, in order to avoid depressing the price, but they had replied, very courteously, that it was not possible to comply with the request. He had no additional information concerning the delay in unloading steamers. Importers in Liverpool and Manchester were anxious to receive direct shipments from New Zealand. He was watching all these matters and would assist the producers wherever it was possible to do so.