The Hastings Standard Published Daily. MONDAY, MARCH 15, 1897. COLD MEAT CURE.

Hastings Standard, Issue 271, 15 March 1897, Page 2

The Hastings Standard Published Daily.

MONDAY, MARCH 15, 1897. COLD MEAT CURE.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrongs that need resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that we can do.

Tin-: Premier dutifully unburdened himself to the übiquitous newspaper interviewer, immediately upon his return to Wellington, and the New Zealand Times on Thursday last published two columns dealing with the Premier's impressions, the sights he had witnessed, and the homage by the Australians to his gastronomic abilities. It is impossible for any man j to spend six weeks travelling through Australia, without proliting by the exercise, and when there are special facilities afforded the traveller and officials roady with full and complete information on all subjects as was the privilege accorded the Premier, we can scarcely doubt that Mr Seddon has acquired a vast store of useful and valuable information, which in the nature of things must be turned to good for the benefit of the colony. It does not follow, however, that everything Mr Seddon saw and all that he heard can lie utilised in the interests of New Zealand. There are some Australian novelties that cannot be introduced into New Zealand and there are others that should not be transplanted here. Amongst the many South Australian novelties that pleased and astonished the Premier was the Produce Department. Mr Seddon says, "I also found that the <iovernment have a Produce Department, are running a freezing works, and send Home shipments of fruit, produce and fro/en meat. The farmers or fruit producers consign their lambs or sheep or fruit to the head of the department ; advances are then made to the farmers as against this produce; it is shipped by the (iovernment consigned to their agents in London, the (iovernment paying the freight, the produce is sold, anil the balance is then paid over to the producers. Or if the producers wish, they may ship through the (iovernment and consign the produce to any agents at Homo they like. Ily this means the freights are about half of what the New Zealand producers are charged." This is mT very nice oil paper, and so far the South Australian (iovernment has not made any loss. It lookn tempting enough to be given a trial in New Zealand, and we notice that the livening Post approves the idea. This journal says: " Py all means let the Premier intervene on the same lines lure. We cheerfully promise liiiu our most earnest support, lie likes big undertaking*, and here is opportunity for the largest enterprise he has jet entered upon. ' l his Statu interference or State v*-i.ih-»iti so long as it i* not applied to newspapers of the K\enitij.* lw calibre, can be cheerfully Mtipporlitd, but with all duo de foriiiKv to our big contemporary wo

venture to suggest that it is a little " off color " and a course of Cockles' pills and Epsom salts may be beneficial. Why must the Government interfere with the frozen meat trade ? The answer is simple enough, it is not paying ; and when an industry does not pay the modern idea is to boom State Socialism and make the Government take over the non-productive concern. We may be quite certain that if the frozen meat trade was in a flourishing condition at the present moment, there would be no shrieks about the necessity of the Government stepping in, and superintending the slaughtering of stock, provide cold storage, pay freights, and generally protect the producer from the " horde of marauding middlemen." When an industry is doing well Government interference is shrieked at, but the moment the industry shows a decline in profits then there is a yell for the assistance of the Government. At present this State-Socialism is sought to be applied to what may be termed our foreign trade industries, but there is no sufficient reason why Government interference should not be applied to industries which exist to supply the home trade. Thus it happens that the furniture trade, printing trade, tailoring, etc., see periods of unprofitableness, and why should not the Government step in to help these trades. No one, except a few hollow-headed cranks, desires this extreme, at the same time if it is justifiable in one case it is permissible in the other. The meat trade does not require active Government intereference, nor will it profit by the application of an extravagant does of State Socialism. The frozen meat trade is passing through a crisis inevitable to all trades and industries and we may safely leave it in the hands of those who have initiated and built it up. If those who are pecuniarily interested in the developement and progress of the industry are unable to extricate it from its present unprofitable position then we unhesitatingly say that the Government cannot succeed where these have failed. The farmers need to study the matter, and although Government interference may look inviting on paper, we warn them against passing the industry over to the control of the State. The present condition of the farmers may be bad but it will be worse under Government control and direction.