IMPERIAL PURCHASES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 271, 5 August 1918, Page 6

IMPERIAL PURCHASES

THE TIME OF TERMINATION

I, ■ PROPOSALS BEING CON- | SIDERED ;■■ One of tho requests mado to the Gov- ;■■' ernment through the Minister in Chargo 1 : of Imperial -Supplies, by a Farmers' Union deputation on Saturday was that ;, the commandeer of wool should cease at : the time'now fixed for the expiry of the ; contract for the purchase and ■ sale, of ;•' New Zealand frozen meat to tho Imperial ; . Government—three months after the war. | The pres/mt agreement with respect to :- : - wool is that the requisition, shall coni; tinuo until one year after' June 30 foli. lowing the.cessation, of hostilities. It ;, . was tho contention of somo wool-growers, :: notably .Mi-. W. .D.-Lysnar, that New ' Zealand, was losing so much by tho'com- [ ~. mandcer,th.at slio ought to be freed from •■;'.'■ the bargain, as soon as possible. It was :'•'.■ never urged that any obstacle should be [■;'; placed in the way of tho British Gov- :■'.-;;.'. eminent taking tho wool so long as the ;.. ' war' should continue, although it .was ; held that even in war time a lot of tho advantage of the purchase of New Zea- ;•:: , ,lahd wool at less than the market value 1 was going not to the Imperial GoveriiI • nient but, to tho manufacturers using the ; ' wool—the "profiteers." Mr. Lysnar has ; often called them. ' The argument is that t . :..' • after tho war, \vhen the woo] can no • : .'longer, be (used for Army or other war '..■:' .purposes, -the-■ Now Zealand growers |- should not be asked to surrender any of '.'■.■ their profit to (he British profiteers. j :.-' In the course of his reply, Mr. Guthrie '?. i v said that he had noted that a consideri■>"'. ahlo section of the farming community held the opinion that Mr. Lvsnar had 1:... advanced, but he (Mr. Guthrie) was by [1, no moans prepared Jo admit that there ,-•'; ; was a majority of the producers iii fav- '■■ ; our.of the change. lie said that while i, •• : the wool-growers—or some of them—wero ;:.: asking for the discontinuance' of tho ...V,.- 1 Wool commandeer .at the same time as ...' ..the meat contract- would expire—three !','! months after the war—it was a curious • thing that (he meat producers were ask- ! :... ing that the meat'contract should bo [.;.'.'■■ made co-terminous with the present wool ; . agreement. ' . ',' v'■. !sfr, Lysnar said 'that he understood . that that agitation was coming from tho j- purchasing freezing companies, but .Mr. ' Guthrie said that representative pro- ; '•■ ducers of meat were behind that request ;• also. Mr. Guthrie did not go further ; with the matter. • ," ' , ' ;■- . .' Tho meat producers and the freezing i' ~ companies have no such sanguine hopes .' ■ its Mr. Lysnar cherishes about tho sanation immediately after the war. Tho Government has circularised the com- : y panies asking them what they think '' about the Suggestion that the meat com- . ••' mandeer should.be extended-to make it co-terminous with tho wool agreement, and it may bo taken for granted that. : most of tho companies will agree to tho proposal with the utmost readiness. All .."■'■■ the biggest men in the meat trade in •;•■ New Zealand have looked with the utmost j. apprehension,at the prospect of having : the requisition stopped three, months. ■'■ aftor the end of the war. Their reasons [' ..'.. are sound enough. ■• It is generally ao- ; cepted that the war will end at the end j."'. of the European.summer in somo year, perhaps at the end. of ..next summer. V This would mean under tho present ar- . rnngement that tho 1 requisition would. . cease just at the opening of the meat ex- >'''.'' port season. .Conditions would then be :... j chaotic. ■ .It is safe toassimie.that tho i '.- | storesiin this.country will be full of meat 1 at that time, and there is no good-, ground '. tor supposing that that ;nent will be , ~-.-'Cleared from the.-stores,, in less'than a year. At the present rat-5 of shipment I'.' it certainly would not. be cleared in a. year. Under those' conditions tho. ex- •'■ "porters of meat would not have the .- . slightest guide ..as to. what they ought to '; give for fat stock.. The meat would never ' '■■ ' reach the market until at least, a year 1 after it was purchased and frozen, and ! - no operators could.ipay more ihan a conservative price. ' ! .The other sido of the argument is that there will be a. rush of ships to this couni try at tho cessation of hostilities, be- ;'•'.. t-nuse the ships will hiivc to come here |. '■:,,:.to bring our troops back. The answer j: to that argument lslthat. even if so many 1" Bhips came here as amy suffice to take ,' away all our meat quickly,, tho effect will \, be. to glut the, nieat market in Britain. ;'. Then the best'that the exparters oh pri- !■ vate account could, have, to hope for i ' ; would be, that they, would have a chanco ,- of getting their meat away on to a glutted market. It is urged by (hem'that a continuance of tho requisition would let !-.'■■ nllhavo trine lo seowliat after-war con- . ditions wero going to be. In a couple of seasons the.accumulation of meat in tho New Zealand stores would be Heavily reduced, and the trade'could resume its normal..channels under conditions which would approximate to normal. • The objection to tho contitiuiiice of the commandeer comes from those, vho ean- :;.' .not forget that-there has been at times considerable profiteering iu England'in New Zealand .meat.. .Huge profits' were made out of New .'Zetland lamb before ! the Fp6d Controller, 'stopped tho game. Even now the price charged to the Bri- ] tis'n consumer is very much more thnn a fair advance on.the price oaid to the !•-,. grower in New Zealand for the stock. It ' . ,3s urged -that someone is making money ■ ' out of tho deal. The Imperial Government is not making tho profit.' These are the reasons advanced by, thoso who favour. . the discontinuance, of the meat comi■' '■ • piandeer as soon as possible after the ''~ war. They say that, present conditions : ' are not 'satisfactory, and that, they should \ be ended as soon as there no longer reI- mains a, reason foa' continuing them. ; The Minister has not yet had time to ' get the replies he asked for from the . companies as to what their wishes are in ' the matter, '-but it may be taken for : granted that all the big companies will .:■' , wish for the extension of the com--1 ■'•' mandeer. In his reference to the matter ' on Saturday Mr. Guthrie said that'his ' sympathies "were very much with those h.. 'asking for the extension of the com- - 1: , mandeer.......