MEAT INDUSTRY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 August 1940, Page 11

MEAT INDUSTRY

RECORD PRODUCTION LAST SEASON

MINISTER SURVEYS POSITION. EFFECT OF WAR CONDITIONS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The position of the meat industry under war conditions and the major problems faced jointly by the Government and the industry formed the subject of an address by the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Lee Martin, at a luncheon given yesterday by the Meat Board for delegates attending the annual meeting. The chairman of the board. Mr T. A. Duncan (Hunterville). presided.

The existence at the outbreak of war of the Marketing Department, already experienced in the bulk purchase and sale of dairy produce, automatically solved the immediate problem of an efficient organisation which could undertake the additional purchase of meat products, said Mr Martin. From the figures available at present it appeared that the department had carried out the function of purchasing not only the Dominion’s exportable surplus of meat products but also dairy produce, wool, tallow and scheelite, with all the necessary detailed documentation, at the remarkably low cost of Is 2d a £lOO turnover. The problem of providing adequate storage had also been satisfactorily faced. Discussing the position of the industry after 12 months’ operations under war conditions, the Minister said: Last season’s production was an all-time record, reaching the amazing total of more than 13,000,000 freight carcases, and thus exceeding last year’s record production by 2,000,000 carcases. Against this production the Marketing Department had already paid to the industry £16,000,000 ori meat already shipped. A further £3,500,000 would be paid on meat now in store, making a total of £19,500,000. The . industry had never had an income of this figure in its previous history. “Furthermore, in spite of this record production, our present stock position was extremely satisfactory, stocks being lower at present than they were at this time last year.

“At the request of the Ministry of Food, negotiations for the current season’s exportable surplus of meat products have been held over till the dairy produce agreements were completed.” said Mr Martin. "As these were completed last week, meat negotiations will begin immediately. In this connection, I am sure that the industry will be in complete agreement with the Government’s attitude that in the present circumstances no approach should be made for higher prices, in spite of some unavoidable increases in the cost of production in this country. As to the quantity of meat we are likely to sell under the new agreement, much will depend on our own estimates of production, on the amount of refrigerated shipping which the United Kingdom Government can make available, and finally on the storage position in Great Britain itself. “However, whatever difficulties may emerge during our coming discussions, you may be assured that the Government will again, as in the past, seek the advice and co-operation of the Meat Board in making every effort to safeguard the interests of the industry, while at the same time safeguarding as far as we possibly can the equally vital necessities of the present situation and of the Mother Country.”