DEHYDRATED MEAT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 July 1942, Page 6

DEHYDRATED MEAT

CONTRACT FOR SUPPLY NEW ZEALAND AND BRITAIN. NEGOTIATIONS OUTLINED. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The negotiations between the United Kingdom and New Zealand governments leading up to the contract for the supply of dehydrated meat were outlined by the Minister of Marketing, Mr Barclay, when replying to a question by Mr Boswell (Government, Bay of Islands) in the House of Representatives last night. Mr Boswell asked the Minister whether his attention had been drawn to recent statements in the Press, including the official organ of the Farmers’ Union, that the Government had failed to supply dehydrated meat in commercial quantities to Britain and that consequently the main contracts had been placed with Australia. The Minister said that, though experimental manufacture promoted by the Government . had been under way for over 12 months, the United Kingdom Government did not desire commercial production till it had completed its own experiments to determine the most suitable method of dried meat manufacture. The United Kingdom Government desired that dried meat should not be produced at the expense of existing canned meat contracts, and that no meat was to be dried which was desired to be exported in frozen form. It was not till May 27 last that the United Government authorised the commercial manufacture and offered a contract for 100 tons a month. This was accepted and plans had been made by the New Zealand Government for the erection oil a suitable plant in accordance with the specifications forwarded by the United Kingdom Government. “We have been advised by the Ministry of Food,” said the Minister, “that exactly the same considerations governed the contract agreement entered into with Australia, and it is incorrect to suggest that Australia has received any preference or has shown greater initiative in the erection of a commercial plant.”