MEAT PRICES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 October 1939, Page 7

MEAT PRICES

AGREEMENT WITH BRITAIN MORE INFORMATION WANTED BY FARMERS. HANDLING & OTHER CHARGES. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON. This Day. 'Commenting on the price agreement with Britain regarding meat, Mr A. P. O'Shea, secretary of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, made it clear that the true value of the prices could not be I assessed until intermediate handling charges had been fixed and until prices for by-products had been announced. However the prices appeared to be satisfactory. They were on a slightly higher basis than last year’s. They were not going to allow the farmer any profiteering. The farmer would require every penny he was to get in order to retain his position, but the prices seemed to be reasonable in the circumstances. It was doubtful whether the coming season would be more productively satisfactory than last year’s. 'Parts of the East Coast were running behind lhe normal rain schedule and South Island stock losses had been fairly heavy because of snowstorms and continued rough! weather. After a drought in many parts of New Zealand ewes had not entered the winter in perfect condition and lambs would have a big hurdle in front of them this spring. Members of the meat trade explained that it would be useless to comment until intermediate handling charges had been announced. The schedule of prices announced could until then be only a rough guide. It was stated, however, that Mr Nash's anxiety about inadequate freezing storage spaccj was shared by the export and freezing companies and that most of the companies were now planning and making extensions to their space.

Details of the meat-price agreement with Britain arc reported on page 3.