A LARGE ORDER

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 October 1941, Page 3

A LARGE ORDER

ACCEPTED BY GOVERNMENT FOODSTUFFS FOR BRITAIN. BACONERS AND BONELESS BEEF. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The New Zealand Government has accepted the order of 11,000 tons of baconers, offered a few days ago by the United Kingdom Ministry of Food, the Minister of Marketing, Mr Barclay, announced last night. In view of this acceptance, the Marketing Department will be a buyer of Wiltshire sides prepared from baconer pigs of a weight range from 1111 b. to 1601 b.

When the original offer was made by the Ministry of Food for the purchase of 5000 tons of baconers, arrangements had been made for the Marketing. Department to purchase baconer pigs only till November 30, 1941, but now that this order has been increased to 11,000 tons, the department will continue buying pigs throughout the coming season. “In placing this order with the New Zealand Government,” said the Minister, “the United Kingdom Ministry of Food has expressed its desire to secure the first 5000 tons as soon as possible, and the New Zealand Government has, therefore, undertaken to i'ulfd this condition.

“I also wish to announce that during the coming season, the Marketing Department will continue to pay the same f.o.b. prices for both pork and bacon as were operative during the past season. This decision has been made after consultation with the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board. “It is not the desire of the Government,” said the Minister, “that producers should again undertake a definite campaign for increased production of baconer pigs. It is estimated that the present order of 11,000 tons can be fulfilled by the industry in the normal course of the season’s operations. Producers can be assured, however, that this purchase by the United Kingdom Government, plus the requirements of the local market, will enable them to dispose of both porker and baconer pigs through the ordinarychannels of the trade during the whole, period of the coming season. “In addition,” continued the Minister, “special arrangements have been made for the purchase of boneless cow beef during the coming season.