EXPORT OF HIDES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2876, 14 September 1916, Page 6

EXPORT OF HIDES

STATEMENT BY HON. A. M. MYERS

The following is a copy of a letter, dated Septembor 12, which was sent by the Hon. Arthur 31. Myers,.Ministcr in Charge of Munitions and Supplies, to the president of the Wellington Provincial Executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, in reply to a resolution regarding the exportation of hides, passed at a meeting of that executive :—

"Tho Honourable'tko Acting Prims Minister has referred to me the following resolution regarding tho exportation of hides, passed at a meeting of tho Wellington Provincial Executive of tho New Zealand Farmers' Union, held at Palmerston North, copy of which was contained in your letter of August 22: 'The executive begs to urge the suspicion that in tho matter of hides tho result of commandeering 10 per cent, of tho best quality of New Zealand at a price less than that obtainable in the open market has been the enrichment, ot tho tanners at the oxpenso of the primary producers and manufacturers, without in any way cheapening leather to the user, and consequently no cheapening of tho manufactiured articlo to tho public. Further, that inasmuch as the New Zealand tanning plant is unable to cope with the whole of tho 10 per cent, retained, tho tanners themselves aro exporting their surplus, and thus obtaining the benefits which rightly belong to tho producers.' _ ;

"In reply, I desire to' inform yon that tho hides retained are only , 10 per cent, of those -weighing 451b. and. over exported from the country. Theso aro dolwered to tanners engaged in producing the leather which is supplied to boot manufacturers to bo used in tho making of 6oles for military boots, and tho tanners aro under an obligation to dispose of this leather in this way only. Tho hides are bought by the tanners at pricos which were fixed as fair by a conference held at Wellington early in February of .parties interested in the hide and leather trade.

''This arrangement, in my opinion, does not allow tho tannor to enrich himself at tho expense of the primary producers, as alleged by your executive, as the tannor is under a further obligation to supply the leather produced from these retained hides s to tho boot manufacturers at prices ruling at tho time the latter tendered for tho supply of the Dofence requirements in footwear for 1 the current year—i.e., in December last.

"As regards the statement contained in the last part of the resolution, i.e., that inasmuch as tho New Zealand tanning plant is unable to cope with the whole of the 10 per cent, retained, tho tanners themselves are exporting their surplus, and -thus obtaining tho benefits which rightly belong to the producers, I do not know, of course, on what authority this statement is made, but I can assure you that from my knowledge of the position it is entirely contrary to fact. _

"The evidence in my possession goes to show that the tanneries have no difficulty whatever in coping with the hides delivered to them out of the 10 per cent, retained, in addition to those they aro tanning for domestic purposes and for_ military upper work. As all applications for the export of heavy hides require my permission, and come under my personal super-vision, I havo no hesitation in assuring you that you are entirely mistaken in your- view that tanners participating in the 10 per cent, retained are exporting a quantity thereof with which they are unablo to deal."