MEAT POSITION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 302, 17 September 1919, Page 8

MEAT POSITION

DISCUSSED BY FARMERS

RELIEVING CONGESTION

PROPOSED VISIT OF COMMITTEE

Tho delegates of the- Sheepowncrs' Federation last night conferred with the delegates to the conference of the New Zealand Farmers' Union regarding Hie appointment of representatives of producers and ofhors interested to form tho proposed commission to proceed to England in conneotion with tho'frozen moat export business and to provido shipping necessary for the relief of tho present congestion of moat in freezing works. Sir James- Wilson (president of the New Zealand Farmers' Union) outlined the negotiations leading up to the sugKeSftoh "tnat a commission should go Home. The matter, ho said, had ■ been initiated by the Feilding A.' and P. Association. ' Tfio eheepownei's were vitally interested in tho matter, and anything they suggested would carry weight in any action that might bo taken. |

Serious Difficulty Arising. Mr. W. J. Poison, of Feilding, said he wanted to y niako it clear that he was 'not addressing tho conference as an expert, but as a farmer who "had conio to certain conclusions. ,Not only wero the stores at the New Zealand end full of meat, but the stores at the English end were also full. Tho High Commissioner had informed the Primq Minister that there were two and a quarter to tv.' and a. half million carcasses in store at Home. Ho had received/ a great doal of information from Homo that the stores were full. If tho stores were full at both ends a 6erioiiß difficulty was arising in connection with the Dominion's meat. Tho people at Homo had got out of the habit of eating as much meat. as they used to eat. Meat was released at the end of April at the rato of 2oz. a week, and prices wero decreased. Tho people, however, had not taken, any more meat. It was owing to tho exigencies of tho war and fhe economies the people had to practise that tho state of affairs he had outlined had arisen, and it would take some item for the people to revert to tho old custom of consuming frozen nieat. On top.of tho congestion of meat'in the stores there were 1 tho operations of tho Amdricans, who ■ wero • ■ attempting to build up strong European markets. There were' cool stores under American management in the Bust, where there were strong markets for American meat - and Australian frozen mutton. He was not convinced that shipping was tho wholo crux of tho nuestinn. At the beginning of next season the'ro 'Would be at least 5,000,000 carcasses in store in Now Zealand. That was a very optimistio estimate. Tho expectations in regard to. shipping had hover been realised. The estimate given would no doubt bo correct if no delays occurred, but they could not guarantee that there would be no dolays.. To bo ready by November, 1920, they would require to ship 1,000,000 sheop a month. Tbey had never shipped such a number before in any month, and he was convinced that by tho beginning of the lttiil season they would be faced with a serious congestion. Tho freezing companies would no doubt ask tho farmers to freeze theli own sheep. It might be suggested that the commandeer Should be extended in order to give tho Imperial authorities an opportunity of getting rid of tho surplus. Ho was auite satisfied t'hat the commandeer, while essential in the interests of the Empire, had been a bad thing for New Zealand and tho worst possible thing for the meat industry. Tho extension would bo oven nioro suicidal if they allowed' things to drift on.without taking any decisive steps in thoTnattor. He proposed that representatives of the producers should bo sent Homo to investigate the position and \vatoh tho mWcsts'of tho New Zealand meat trade. By tho timo the Commission reached the Old Country tho position might be altered, and then tho Commission could advise the -Now Zealand .Government on any matters that oanio under its purview. He did not want to cast any reflections on the High Commissioner, bufj he thought ho "had tieen so long at Homo that ho had becomo impregnated with tho ideaa held by the officials at the other end. If tho Commission did nothing more than outline a futuro programme for the guidance of New Zealand producers it would havo justified its existence. He did not think it wiso to. include representatives of the freezing interests on the. Commission lor they had ' been receiving high fees for! storage, and would probably hold that they had nothing to complain about.

Reducing the Price of Moat. Mr. 6. L.' Marshall (Marton) supported the proposition that a commission should be sent Home. One of the chief poinds of the commission should bo to see if it

were possible to reduco the price of the Dominion meat to the. consumers .in the Old Country. While tho meat was pooled with American meat it was impossible to give it to the consumer at a reasonable price. He hoped that no stone would be left unturned to alleviate the position. The meat iras at present being placed before the Old Country consumers in an uninviting way. It was often stale, and this was doing harm to the industry, which had been built Up bv years of' hard effort

. Mr. G. W. Leadley (Ashburton) asked what quantity of Now Zealand meat was consumed on the English market. Mr. Poison replied that in normal times New Zealand sent Home only about 6,000,000 carcasses annually. That represented only 0 per cent, or, 7 per cent, of tho total consumption in Great Britain. At present New Zealand was con-

tributing only about 5 per cent, of the English consumption.

In reply to Mr. R. D. Duxiicld (Auckland). Mr. Poison said it was not suggested that tho commission should bo "a permanent body. It had been pr)posod that a permanent committee of official* should be established in tho Old Country, but that was quite a different thing from the proposition ho now put forward. Mr. D. Jones (North Canterbury) said tho position was most serious, but what was-, the remedy? If the commission went Home could their presonco in tho Old Country result in sixty ships reniovimr all the meat Unit was at present in store? Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward had done particularly good work for the fanners when, in tho Old Country. (Hear, hear.) If the. producers took tho matter into tjieir own liands he thought they might relieve the Government of a responsibility which they would be glad to get rid of. The Government must have a greater influence'with the ImoeiSnl authorities. Before any decision was arrived at ho thought {hat r conference of producers 6hould be called to consider tho wholo question. Small, committees had been sent to London on 1 other mattorj), 'but what had .happenodP Txwidon hod "swallowed them up. Thoy would have to bo assured that any committee that wont Homo would, be ablo to fulfil the functions for which it Was established.

_ Activitios Should ha Extended, Mr. -K. D. Duxfield thought that thescope of tho comuiitteo's activities should bo extended in order that it might cover all produce, and not meat only. The butter position, for instance, was not as satisfactory as it should be. T'lio committee should have greater powors than

were suggested. It should have executive rather than merely advisory powers.

Mr. S, C. Jounncaux (Auckland) said thero was no doubt, that investigation should Ijo made at Homo. Ho did not au'ree with Atr. Jones that the Government had done very well. Such a committee as was suggested could do a Jot of good, and it should have power to make negotiations regarding all produce. America was getting in on the Kuropean markets, and the New Zealand producers should also, "gut in «arly."

Air. G. Slieat (Canterbury) remarked there were some things he did not want to get into early. He did not want to "uet into a bog up to his neck early." Would they bo right in taking the matter out. of the hands of the authorities (Inf had piloted them over the war period? He was convinced that it would be wise to let the Imperial Government take- their meat and butter for

another one, or even .two, seasons. It tvould be a grave niistiko to free tho Government from the responsibility of cleaning up the aftermath of war conditions. He thqugh th?y should pause beforo sending Homo a commission that had no direct powers.

What the Committee Would Do. | Sir .James Wilson sa;d there was a good deal of misconception as tu what (ho committee would do in London. The commission would impress upon the Imperial Government the lurnest desire ut tho farmers-of New Zealand that they should do something to leliove the aculllness of tho position as it uliectcd Uie Dominion. The couimitteo would create tho impression that tho New Zealand tarmois were in a serums position. He did inot think tho eouiimtboo would usurp any ot 'lie lunctions ut the Government, but it could lender advice as to what should be donu in the iuture. With Dr. Reakos on tho committee he was sura that a great deal of <;ood would result. The assistance of Dr. Rcakcs would bo of tho utmost importance, for ho had tho confidence of all tho producers in tho Dominion. He did not think the butter and cheese position was unsatisfactory, for lie believed that room would'bo found for all the butter and cheese that might bo produced in tho Dominion. Sir James Wilson trusted that the matter would not be allowed to drift.

■ Mr. A. J. Nichol (Southland) was of opinion that if tho right men wero placod upon tho commission a ;jreat amount ot good would come from, its visit to the Old Country.

Mr. Duxneld asked if-the committee could havo on it a representative of tho butter interests.

Sir James Wilson: Yon have a Dairy Counuission at Homo now.

Mr. Duxneld said that the dairy formers were not satisfied with the present position, and ho felt that they could bo very weft represented on tho committee. A State of Bankruptcy. Mr. J. 11. Joll (Hawki.-'s Bay) pointed out .tluvt__tho farmers in his uistrict uiouglit that the coniniaadecr should becontinued for another year and that elf orbs should bo lniulo to obtain a little better price. If tho commission toiled iu its work and the congestion in tho stores were not relieved tho Dominion would bo very near a .state of bankruptcy. ■ Air. E. Maxwell (Tar.maki) did not think it would be wise to tako the mattor out of the hands of the Government, as it was m tho intoiaits of the Gov-erninonf-fiiat the whole of the Dominion's produce should be shipped away and paid for. Nothing that any couimitteo could do could in any way approach what could bo done by tho State, as a committoo would not be able to exert the necessary iuliuenco on the Imperial authorities. He was emphatically in, favour of extending ihe commandeer as .long as possible. A very largo body of opinion amongst, tho fuming community was in favour of in extension, of the commandeer for a longer time than had been suggested," provided they could obtain * reasonable, price. Aftor a good deal of further discussion Sir James Wilson said it was evident that no agreement oould be arrived' at that night, and on his aiggestion tho 'conference adjourned until to-day. ,