Investigation Into Domestic Meat Trade

Chronicle (Levin), 11 March 1948, Page 6

Investigation Into Domestic Meat Trade

Pres* AssoeiaUonJ

(Per

DUNEDIN, Marcli 10, Oabiuet lias agreed to the request of the auiiual cont'ereiiee of the New Zealand Master Butehers ' Eederation tliat q commissioii of inquiry should be set up to iuvesligate all aspects of the retail meat ' iiulustry in the Domiiiion. Adviee to this effect was given to the i.-onferent'e this afteimooii by the seeretary (Mr. A. T. B. Green) after a telephone eoiiversatiou ^ with Wellington. Mr. Green said he had been told that Cabinet had reached this deeisitm, but the order of referenee of the inquiry and the porsonnel of the cQinmission vvei'e to be* aiuiounced later. The decision by Cabinet followed a telegram from the Minister of Industries and "Commerce (Hon. A. H. Nordmeycr) which was read at the conferunce this morning. The telegram stated that Cabinet would consider Mr. Nordaieyer's recommendation that an open publie inquirv should be held by a conimission or tribunal into all aspeets of the domestic meat trade in the Dominion. The telegram sdded that the questions to be determined would be whether stock should be pureliased at auction or 011 the Jiooks, tlie margin to be aliowed to farmers and generaliy all matters which liave been subject to disctission for many years. ''I regard it as desirable that this inquirv should be held earl.y, but ob viouslv 110 tlcliuite, date can be set," the Minister coneluded. Should Tinnecl Meat be Rationed? The Government is to be urged by Ihe Xew Zealand Master Butchers ' Eederation . to reslrict the saie of tinned meat for local consumptiou so long as meat is rationed in the Dominion by bringing it under the rationing scheme. This wa.-] decided unanimously by the delegates to the amiual confer- . ence who discarded a furtlier motion by the youth Auckland Association that the Government be urged to aboli'sii meat ratiouinu.

Licensmg Meat Operators. A remit that the advuntages of obtaining the licensing of operators in the retail lueat trade wero to be investigated was also carried by the couference. The methods suggested were b\ au extensiou of the Institute of Meat of the Eniled Kingdom to periuit a branch to be opened in Xew Zealand to govern ihe trauiiug and granting of qtialificutiou as master butchers here and ihe registration of master butchers by means of a private Bill which would secure 1j a qualiligd trader the right to practice and would also maihtain the pqsition of master butchers as the sole relailers oi meat and Jinallv registration under the lndustrial Ktficency Act, vvhich' would ensure that Ihe trade was piotected against" an unecouomic allocation of Jicences to operate meat businesses. Mr. Ii. A. Bolvvell (Dunedin), speaking to the remit, said that the possiblfc' operation in Xew Zealand of "quick-' free/.e'' and a *'ombination o f ''self j service" stores which would conibine fhe functions of lnitcliers', grocers,?, fruiterers' and possibly .lishiuongers ' establislunejits, wcmhl constitute aj threat to the retail meat trade. Mr. Bolwell added that the introduction of stores of this type would probablv fol- j low the cessation of rationing. A dis- j coiitinuani-e of rationing would pos- | siiily nieau control'of whblesaJing 01 entry of oxport houscs into the retai1 .trade which would threaten tlic future of'niany retai iers oecause of the capital backing of wholesale houscs. The retailer must take steps to 'ensure his livelihood.