Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1916.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3571, 4 October 1916, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1916.

THE MEAT PROBLEM.

The progress-of the war is naturally the. chief subject of conversation at all times, but next in importance to many thousands of people in the Dominion is the questibn of the price of meat, the factors that are operating to maintain It, and the unsatisfactory conditions 'that exist with regard to export. Since we referred .to the subject in a recent article, there have been several new developments of the meat question. The chief of these is the information made public yesterday by Sir George Clifford, Chairman of Directors of the * Canterbury Frozen Meat Company, that it is practically certain that the Government price for meat shipped on Government account from the Dominion will be increased for the jcoming season. We understand that the proposed increase is only, a small one, but in the aggregate it will be an acceptable,addition to tho producers' cheques. Another phase of the question is revealed by the statement made l>v Mr J. A. Young, M.P. for Waikato (and published in yesterday's 'Guardian"), that a Wellington buyer was " quietly, purchasing large quantities of beef at a considerable advance on present Imperial prices." ■ Still further interest attaches to the position because of the fact that in the Ashburton County (and probably the same thing has in every other sheep district in ISfe* Zealand) sheepowners have been paid, in some cases, at least 2s pel head more for their sheep by certain buyers than they would have obtained, if they had; sold them dheot to the Government buyers. It is reasonable to suppose that there is a' direct connection- between the beef-buyers in the Waikato and. the sheep-buyers. The meat-producers are not asking any . questions, however. They are selling in the highest market, leaving the authorities tei settle any problems that may arise as to the ultimate fate o pi the meat. But many people have been pondering over the anomaly of private individuals being able to out-bid Government buyers, 01 at least being in a position to pay higher prices for meat than the Government is actually offering to the producers under the commandeering scheme. This fact has naturally given rise to the belief (there is no evidence available as to whether it is warranted or not) that the buyers in question have some means of exporting the meat which are not available to the ordinary exporters. Otherwise, it is asked, how could the buyers afford to give such excessive prices ? The days; of wholesale philanthropy have passed, and stock dealers, like all other business men, are. not "in the game" for the sake of their health. Competition with them is as keen as in any other line, and, in the case of sheep-buying in this County, we know that the representatives of the people behind this wholesale • buying scheme have had to go to • the utmost limit of value in order to get the lines they had set their minds on. This has been a good thing t'ov the producers, but it is an open question whether the final result of such competition will be advantageous for the farmers or the country. The man or firm with the best-filled purse will always win in the ' end, and thus a monopoly is created. The farmers will bo able to judge for themselves which will pay them best: a dozen buyers competing for their stock, or one big corporation absolutely controlling the meat market of the Dominion, and able, if necessary, to refuse to buy a single head of stock ,for a year or two in order to compel the fanners to accept its prices. We do not;wish to imply that such.a position of affairs in the stock market is inevitable; but we are convinced that unless the Govern-,

*ment takes, steps to counteract certain influences'-that are now at work the sheep- and cattle industries, in this Dominion will receive a check that /will have serious results for thousands of graziers. To begin with, an 'investigation should be made with regard to the recent extensive independent purchases of?.stock,-and an assurance should be given'to the public that speculators are not profiting at the expense of the meatconsumers.