N.Z. PRODUCE AT HOME.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17125, 21 April 1921, Page 8

N.Z. PRODUCE AT HOME.

ADDRESS BY SIR THOMAS MACKENZIE.

4n address on matters of interest to farmers, with particular reference 1o the market for New Zealand produce. m the Old Country, was given yesterday by the Hon. Sir Thomas Mackenzie, M.L.C., late New Zealand High Commissioner in London. Mr G. VLeadley presided over a large attencl•ance of farmers. Sir Thomas said it was stated that the present depression was caused by over-supply .and by adverse It was interesting to deal with me question of over-supply, as so man} classes of produce were not in ovei supply, as returns issued in Great Britain up to December 31st, showed. 1"? extent of tho slump, he considered, nan really been exaggerated. ,In regard to wool, tliiere hud not been over-produc-tion, but an under-consumption, due to certain circumstances relating to the Imperial Government's control under Sir Arthur Goldfinch. Sir Thomas dealt briefly with the manner in which prices had "been held up alter the war, and went on to say that in May last he had drawn attention to the danp.-r caused by Sir Arthur Goldfinch's policy, under which wool was sold as high as 15s 4d a lb. Sir Arthur now proposed to release two bales of old wool to one of new. If that were not done, Snl competition would be very fierce. Sir Thomas considered that the present trouble would not be overcome by such means. It was necessary to get rid of huge accumulations ol wool and the system of control under which consumption was reduced. The sheep flocks of the world were 69,000,000 less than before the war, which indicated that the wool supply would be reduced. Passing on to the question of mutton and lamb, Sir Thomas remarked thai* New Zealand lamb was <,uoted at' Is 2d to Is 3d per lb in the Old Country, and even lamb re-shipped from America was re-sold at Is OJd to Is Id. That being the case, buyers of new ineat :it oJd in New Zealand could break the market. .Lamb purchased at that price should be landed in the Old Country at i)Jd. At the present prices in the Dominion it would be possible to break the market permanently. There wus no meat food that reached the Old Country that was so highly esteemed as New Zealand lamb, and it would sell readily at from Is Id upwards if tha supply could be assured. It was rather an astonishing thing to him that there was a lack of shipping for New Zealand meat, considering the large amount of shipping that was now lying idle. Last year three and a half times as much mutton and lamb was sent away as in 1918. There was in store and in sight last year twice as much as there was this year, yet trouble was being experienced in shipping half the amount of last year's quantity. There was certainty of consumption at Kome if the meat could be received, and if the meat could be delivered there was no doubt that the situation regarding prices would improve. Passing on to the butter situation, Sir Thomas said that the dairy people seemed to handle their produce better : than the others, and appeared to work more unitedly. The dairy situation in the future should be satisfactory. Messages from Home at times appeared to indicate an over-supply of butter in Great Britain, but actual figures showed that imports from Denmark and 'other countries were very much below those of before the war. There was a deficiency of about 66,000 tons from Denmark and 37,000 tons from Russia, while Canada's exports were now:only one-half of what they were in 1902. 'The total imports of butter into Britain last year were about 1,716,000cwt, as against over four million cwt. in the year before the war. Cheese was very much in the same position as before the war, and still commanded a very satisfactory price. In conclusion, Sir Thomas said there should be some understanding amongst the farmers to ensure that their produce did not fall into the same position as lamb, for instance. In response to Mr Leadley, who ask_ed the source from which the High Commissioner received his information regarding the markets, which was often very contradictory, Sir Thomas said that a special officer from the High Commissioner's office collected the information personally, going round the markets, interviewing the brokers, etc. Information was also received from the big companies, etc. He thought that the information cabled out from the High Commissioner's office was a pretty accurate indication of the situation. Sir Thomas added that he considered that that was hardly enough, and he thought a department should be established for the purpose. Men of undoubted qua ity and with ft knowledge of the inner workings at" Home, and of the conditions in this country, should be selected, and the department should be wholly non-political. A body should be set up out here, consisting, for instance, of members" of the Board of Agriculture and the chambers of commerce, with perhaps the Minister of Education, and with such a body it would be certain that the reports sent out from Home would not be pigeon-holed. Of course, the Government should be closely associated with the department. Sir Thomas added that he hoped no one would consider that he was "after the job" at Home. He was not at all keen on it now.

In reply to a question regarding the shipping outlook, Sir Thomas commented on the amount of shipping now lying idle, but said he was at present out of touch with the shipping people. He thought that ib should be,possible to have regular shipping, which would deliver our produce in good condition. Sir Thomas incidentally stressed the need for a proper system of distribution at the other end. It was intolerable that' our interests should be* prejudiced by people who had no knowledge of the produce of which they were in charge. He knew of numerous instances in which expert advice had been overridden by those with no knowledge of the subject. Mr Leadley asked if there was any justification ioi the disparity of prices of our 'produce in New Zealand and at Home. Sir Thomas replied that he could see none whatever, except, perhaps, the shipping trouble. Sir Thomas added that he was leaving for the Old Country on Saturday, though not in an official capacity, and he would endeavour to look into matters generally. Asked if he would_ express an opinion as to Mr Bernard Tripp's suggestion for a State shipping company, Sir Thomas said that the difficulty always was to "get vour man" to control it, and to keep the concern free of politics. Such a man would have to be well paid, and must, not be interfered with. Person-: ally, he rather hesitated to express an

opinion on the scheme. _ A shipping company was always a difficult concern to run, and, of course, if the company were formed, a rate war must be expected to follow. Sir Thomas added that very great consideration would have to be given to the matter before ther committed themselves to anything definite. Sir Xhnmas was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for his address. n seconding the vote, Mr W. A. Banks said that, outside ,the Prime Minister, perhaps, no man was more favourably Icnown amongst New Zealand farmers iihnn Sir Thomas. He had put millions into tliQ pockets of the fanners during the time he had been in charge, and it .would bo to the advantage of the far mers if Sir Thomas could be placeji permanently in charge of their interests at Home. Sir Thomas waa "one of t ; ho grand men of New Zealand. Mr George Sheat made special reference to the manner in which Sir Thomas had looked after the welfare of New Zealand soldiers in England. In the course of his response, Sir Thomas said that a sum of £2OOO annually would be about sufficient for tlhe special department he had referred to. At the conclusion of the meeting, Mr W. A. Banks moved: "That the meeting does not favour Mr Tripn's scheme fur the farmers of New and the Government becoming partners in a shipping firm." The Hon. I>. Buddo seconded the motion pro forma, but did not support itHe stressed t)he necessity for something being done, and expressed the opinion that Mr Tripp should be thanked for his scheme. Mr G. Sheat urged_ the need for securing control of shipping by some means. Mr G. W. Leadley Baid that the farmers must "work out i'lieir own salvation" from the grip of the combines. Mr I>. Jones, M.P., said that without the thorough combination of the producers, the proposed shipping line would be useless. They had tliie produce hero that the people at the other end needed, ! and what they needed was to organise so as to ensure that they had full control of their produce. Mr Leadley pointed out tlhat part of Mr Tripp's scheme was chat it should finance itself. The_ weak point, of course, was the political aspect. After some further discussion, Mr Banks said that he had moved the motion just to obtain an expression ot opinion. He had attained that object, and would ask leave to withdraw the motion. The' Hon. D. Buddo then moved: "That the meeting should favour the scheme with the exception of the financial side, which should be along the lines of the formation of a company, to be supported by importers, exporters, ■ and producers along reasonable lines. The motion was seconded by Mr G. Sheat and carried. Mr Leadley was accorded a. hearty vote of thanks for presiding.