MEAT EXPORT LICENSE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 845, 17 June 1910, Page 4

MEAT EXPORT LICENSE.

APPLICATION TO COUNCIL. Considerable discussion took place at tho meeting of the City Council last night with regard to the question of the reissue of a meat export slaughterhouse license to the Banks Heat Company. The Abattoirs Committee reported that they had received a communication from the Department of Agriculture inquiring whether tho council had any objection' to the reissue of a meat export slaughterhouse license to the Banks Co-operative Meat Distributing Company, Ltd., of Ngahauranga, and they recommended the council to protest strongly against thereissue of a license to the company, on the ground that it was not a meat export company in terms of the Slaughtering and Inspection Act, 1908. Before this recommendation was considered, a deputation from the company waited on the'council to ask for a provisional . license to go oo slaughtering for the next six or nino months. Mr. Davis, chairman nt' directors of the company, urged that the company was established before the abattoirs were built. They were not, ho said,' .carrying on business iu opposition to the abattoirs, and were in fact charging higher fees. It might be said that the abattoirs were in opposition to them. The Minister was willing to give them a permit if no objection was raised. The company intended to make freezing for export its principal busiuess, though owing to want of funds it had not done so yet. Mr. Buchanan, i director of the company, also addressed the council. The Mayor: What guarantee' can you give that you will slaughter if you get a license? What sum will you be spending on accommodation for slaughtering for export during tho next year? Mr. Buchanan said that he could not give any definite guarantee. The Mayor: You want the council to recommend the Government that you should be allowed twelve months to "see if you can make a "do" of it or not? fir. Buchanan replied that the company had good reasons to believe that- it would be able to carry on freezing for export satisfactorily. At a later stage the recommendation of the committee and the arguments put forward by the deputation wero discussed together. Councillor ShirtclilTe said that admittedly for two years no meat had been killed for export at tile company's works, and he doubted whether the. bulk of its business had ever been done for export. The company had no accommodation for doing export business on its own account. It did not seem to be in accordance with tho spirit of the law that a concern of this kind should be placed on the same footing as the large freezing establishments. A great many butchers had had to close down their slaughterhouses when tho abattoirs wore constructed, and it was not fair to them to reissue a license to this company. He moved. that the recommendation of tho committee bo adopted. Councillor Fletcher seconded tho motion. Councillor Cohen moved an amendment in favour of granting the company a' permit for twelve months. This would give them an opportunity to erect accommodation for freezing. He thought tliat the company was not in the same position 'as private butchers. The Mayor supported the amendment. Councillor Atkinson urged that to comply with the deputation's demand would be to make the council an accomplice in a deliberate find open breach 'of tho law. Jfe did not know what the bylaws and dignity and morality of the council were coming lo if the request was granted. Councillor Devinc supported the amendmeat, and declared that the committee's recommendation was merely designed to give a.monopoly to the abattoirs. The pretence of legal obstacles was. he said, too thin. He would not support n course of action which might mean irretrievable ruin to the company. After further discussion, the amendment was agreed to by 8 votes to S.