OUR ENEMY, THE ARGENTINE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 442, 26 February 1909, Page 11

OUR ENEMY, THE ARGENTINE.

i^inteTresting^pacts 7 / -■■-; iOJT'TEIiBQBAPB^SPECIAi^pOHBESPOJ)DIsi?f.)'*>•; :y^^^; ; V^!;"V^ l Christchu«hi;;Eebruary 24J?: ..iThefindustrial:,dispute.'between.;.the; Canter-; ibury Traction;arid/Stationary -Engine Drivers' 'and- Firemen's Union 'and employers was' taken <at ; the- ArbitrationcCourt ;\ to-day, a^mong, the .employers -cited-being meat: freezing. ■ companies.' .: ■ ■-■ '{>-:. ■•■■, ■f-tf'J , 'Z:'-\>fr\ : i '"'•.""-• s -;-l==K-=;-'v'Mr/:. Waymouth.-for.'ffies.Cante.rb'nry.vFrozen .iMeat';'Cpm'pany,'-Nooni»nd^ ; evidence 'had'. not : : altered' siiice Stht compiniies '.were, . : -riot an ; opportune. timej.t^a.s)cr.freezirig- : com- : : ; newspapers^Trere' ( "reported,lftafefflente:;made:Tby." the , ' chairman of'the; ChristohurchVMeat - Jpany.' regardirig.Vtheyeiibrmbus ;■ oinpunt'ri.of kptif-.-vside.competition.that'vth'ey/'had'tij meet,- especi-:ally.in;;tne;'lanib-..;trade:''; The Meat, ■Company had-saucezied!-:an B"per'cerit.',:.dividend, : %b&n■ ; ■hβ : ■'ookslfc^v^?'|tfo'tv4';re ] .when-the ■ ris^s,iof'■'the.rbusinessi'w«re>;cpnsid:ired. '■ The oq)np^tjtioh.",bf.,ithf/Argentine'-and ■; 'Australia ■ seriously:vinterferipg.' ~,mthi' : the ■bpeiness.v'bf'i^N^'Z'ealand'i'frMaMi'^Wlianies,'. , and ■•' this:beingVsjl!-it V\v4s, fpr.;.tl\e .Court"tp' ; seri-- - pusly; consider.'whether.; it: could'honestly give Ms increase i t6> mehi.whb' ;yere receipt of good 'ptty.-f-v i, i; ; 'Vi^*:\-\--''";tS!:':i r :-- / ' ::,:\. \iMr. Christchnrch.Meat:Coin-;pany,:and-thatLtheVmeat^expott'*trade:of New Zealand.'■■.was 1 W;. ; time iiifl^pubtedly threatened.-. Every/sheepibeinp;'exp6fted?at the ipresent:mom'eht.'tq:Engfand\was''wprth , 'at least." ;2sV:6d.' less>;j;han.it , short :t''me ago., -:HβA.conldv'nbt^6a-y : .^that^ithat.''dβOTeoiario'll , :wa's .-going {ito'be;permanent, but ai>the.■■Batne;timeone. could\not-ignore ; the' oausesjwhioh ..were' ..bringing ; it' about. -It>-was'. an admittedi fact that - the;; Argentine; .had taken. the .premier; "place Jn'mutton; the Argentine, they had a huge extent'- of -country,; cheaper, land, r.and' :■ cheaper. labonr.- * Approximately the ■ .Avas - only '-half ■; tlje}.- distance' froiri' the English ;market;as : -cp»Pf^d.'.^thj;!New-;Zeala'ndi.Vaud,-cbiisequeritlyl" the , prbducersxcbiild accept' Prices for' their, produce: very.Vcpnsider* ably belbw.;the.'prices. that has -hitherto satisfied; ■thei'Now Zealand ■ producer—prices -which' were; ii'eWntial;, if .the; present 'value, of land _and"'the present l state ; :pf:. labour was to be, : maintained in this.Dominion;i'NeWi.Zealand had been fbr;t.unate.in. having a-second line.'Of-.defence'in her-lamb..-trade,vjUntil-.three years ago. the .exI port- of lamb from 'the Argentine-was .practic-. .ally a.jbagatolle—some 60,000 cafcasses per an- - num—and .was 60: small that it-was at the time hardly -worth considering :as a' serious factbr.in" competitibn'• with ;New- Zealand. -- , The. following' year; the-.-Argentine'e •' export, was' 90,000-'oar-c&ssea,- and last -year, 'the ■ export.-rose ■',to about ;290,000loaroassesY: Thus within the : short space 'of twelve months -'the Argentine., had-.''fully trebled-: their 'export, of •lamb,.. and: : it was --im- . possible 'to' say .'what - the Argentine '. would. ; do . this year,: but, from : all ■ accounts, they would export :a : very, appreoiable. quantity/-. New Zealand, had,- had for/years a-very-ppwefful';com-petitor in Australia, and would haye ; the. samp competition. in\ the; future, and,:. as 'the 'large estates were, cut':up, there would be greater competition;; New Zealand might, during dry : years' in (Australia, enjoy the praotical-mono-poly, which she.had hitherto 'enjoyed, -but''as things- stood at present,' New Zealand wasnot going tp: have, that'ieommand of that she. had;.had ~for' some, years; -■ Thore was no •necessity to prophesy. :A1( that was necessary was toloqk at'the facts.'.. Wages had been eo:ing up, :and it seomed' that, when the' union's weeded;,to;-.it .was,only twelve. - monthe': before further,, demands ■ • were "made ,: ; How;far;.that process could be carried on withi •out ,being!.felt t in,a very, serious, manner was probably a matter upon whioh there was more than one-'bpinion, ,;;:■.•,:-. :;..-. -. -.-. ;::Mr.;Darey,-for;the;union,;said that it was : nardly nepessary'to.go into the:question of the state of the.moat export trade, In spite of the foot that .the season just olosed was one of the -worst;yefc.experienced, tho;Christohuroh Meat' Company-had declared. a dividend of 8 per cent;,' and- oarried several, theusands of pounds" to reserves.,, To-go further was to indulge in :prbpaocy..-■■: .: '. ;: — ■ .: ■■-■ ,:,