“FARMERS TRIMMED”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 June 1941, Page 4

“FARMERS TRIMMED”

PAYMENT FOR SLIPE WOOL LOSS OF £lOO,OOO. FREEZING COMPANIES’ PROFITS. What had become of the £lOO,OOO owing to farmers in payment for slipe wool as a result of the commandeer of their early lambs last season, asked Mi - A. McDonald, at a meeting of farmers in Masterton. yesterday when delegates were appointed to the electoral committee of the New Zealand Meat Board. At the beginning of the commandeer, Mr McDonald said, farmers had been asked to forward their early lambs so that waiting boats could be loaded. "Acting in support of the war effort, farmers supplied the lambs and the boats were filled.” he added. ‘‘At that time the slipe wool had not been valued. The freezing companies paid out 141 d a pound on account. It was afterwards shown that this was an underpayment by 3d a pound or 6d a lamb, which represented a loss to the producer of £ 100.000. The Minister of Marketing, Mr Nash, and the Meat Board insisted on an audit of freezing charges and an excess profit of £1,600,000 was disclosed. The trimming of ewe carcases," Mr McDonald concluded, “ig nothing compared with the trimming of the farmers.”