PURCHASE OF MEAT
OTAGO CRITICISM MINISTER IN REPLY. FARMERS REFERENDUM SUGGESTED. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. “If the Otago branch of the Farmers' Union cannot accept the undertakings given by the Government to the meat industry, I suggest that they are at liberty to take a referendum of all farmers in the district to ascertain whether the majority are in favour of accepting the Government’s undertaking or would prefer io produce without any guarantee of purchase,” said the Minister of Marketing, Mr Barclay, in replying last night to statements by Mr D. H. Cockburn, president of the Otago Provincial Council of the Farmers’ Union. “If it can be proved in this way that the Otago branch speaks for the farmers of its district, I shall be only too pleased to recommend to Cabinet the necessary arrangements excluding Otago from any Government undertaking in respect of the purchase of meat for the coming season.” The statement to which Mr Barclay referred was Mr Cockburn’s remark, “in future no chances will be taken with the Government in respect to promises,” and another, “even though promises are given they will not be regarded as genuine unless we receive them in writing.” The Minister said that the Government had made a clear statement in July, 1940, that it would undertake to purchase the normal exportable surplus of meat products available during the present production year, irrespective of whether this meat was finally sold or shipped to the United Kingdom. In the Southland and Otago districts, the following were the details of actual export killings at Burnside, South Otago, Mataura, Makarewa and Ocean Beach works at July 31, 1941, as compared with the same period last year: 1940-41, 2,560,824 carcases; 1939-40, 2,437,079, an increase of 123,745 carcases.
“As the above figures show,” said Mr Barclay, “the Government undertaking has been fully honoured, even in comparison with last year's killings’, which were an all-time record for the industry and in no way constitute a normal exportable kill in terms of the average kill over the past few years. “In addition, when it became necessary to apply general restrictions on the killing for export of certain classes of meat, Southland and Otago wore the only districts in the Dominion to receive preferential treatment, as facilities were granted to farmers in these areas to kill a wider range of stock than in other districts. This action was taken because these districts had a sound case for such preferential treatment, and the Government was prepared at all times to do the fair thing. “It has also been stated,” continued the Minister, “that the Government’s action in relation to restriction of killings during the present season created a particular hardship in the case of producers of wether mutton. In reply, I must state that at no time has the local market price for prime wethers been below 41d a lb., which is an excellent return for this class of meat and closely, approximates the f.o.b. value.”
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Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 August 1941, Page 3
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497PURCHASE OF MEAT Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 August 1941, Page 3
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