THE MEAT POOL.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 February 1922, Page 4

THE MEAT POOL.

FREEZING COMPANIES’ PROTEST.

WEL);iN(rjpN, Fejb. 3. A petition askipg fqr .consideration of the "]Jjtest Cqntml Biijj fry a selqct committee, so that important trading interests may be heard, was presented to the Legislative Council by the Hon O. Samuel to-day. It was signed by Cecil Albert Delatour, chairman of the New Zealand Freezing Companies’ Association, on behalf of a large majority, of the freezing companies operating in New Zealand, Harry Frederick Nicoll, chairman of the Association of ißeat = and Produce Exporters qf Rcw Zealand, ai\d on behalf of meiqbers of tfiat association who w.ere descrj,bed as in, facf g large majority of meat .exporters operating in New Zealand. They stqt-i ed tjbay the companies, pers.ons ,apd ! fir;ns whom they represented have been and are; willing to assist jp Revising the carrying out of any equitable scheme for the improvement of marketing conditions of New Zealand meat, and generally benefiting the producers, but they respectfully submit that the scheme provided for in the Meat Export Control Bill is not equitable. It is pointed out that it has been the general practice of freezing companies and exporters to buy stock on the liooi and they frequently make forward contracts with purchasers abroad for sale. The value of meat exported by freezing companies and meat exporters amounts to about £5,500,000, and in quantity the meat so exported is estimated at 75 per cent of the total export of meat from New Zea.land. The Meat Export .Control RilJ, says the petition, makes no provision for protection of existing contracts, wlif’fher j)y purchase of stock or sales of meat made by freezing companies and meat exporters, but gives the M.e.at .Confrol Board power to fake possession of and exporf the meat vvitli.oj.it reference to tiie freezing egjnp.anjes apjl export firms which o\yn it. The petitiop also contends tluß it is impracticable to d,e,aj eqpjtabjy as between copipapics or ijidjyjdq.aJs, or even as Jjetwcop districts, in regulating shipments. Attention is called po the fact that aJJ meat exported Rqio fjew Zealand, ryliethcr controlled or pqt, is required to contribute to the lovy. Tjie BilJ is a)so ip, equitable jn thaf it confers ppon the proposed board powers of a most arbitrary natpre witljout any rjgjjt of appeal of apy sort being provided. Qjio of the inevitable results of fhe Bill if passed in its present form, says the pefitiop, will fie that freezing companies apd meat exporters wjtli a distributing business in Great Britain will be unable to rejy on supplies purchased being available for their trade at any particular tinie, as the proposed board may at .any time prevent shipment lrpm New Zealand or may prevent sales of meat in Great Britain after its arrival there, or impose conditions which would make such sales impossible, and distributing firms ami companies cannot anticipate their requirements of New Zealand supplies whicli must, of necessity, be provided for in advance. Even if the proposed board did not exercise absolute control over all Meat the very'cxisience of the power, conferred by statute upon the board of exorcising even limited control of meat must inevitably lead to partial paralysis of business in New Zealand apd to depreciation in the value of stock, bepause freezing companies and meat exporters purchasing stock must in making their purchases take all possible risks into consideration.

AUCKLAND, Feb. 3

The Auckland Chamber of Commerce passed the following resolution: — “That this chamber strongly protests against the reported terms of clause 17 (providing a Government guarantee) a.-, preferential treatment of a section of the community at the expense of the remainder. The logical and inevitable result will be a demand of similar concessions for dairying, wool and other interests. If the policy, notwithstanding this protest, he persisted in, we suggest at least a restriction on U.c rate of interest which may be charged upon advances under the State guarantee, and the usual reservation of 1 per cent for the State in consideration of the guarantee, also that in the public interest the currency of the measure be restricted to one year, ami thereafter it be subject to review annually. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE VIEW.

CHRISTCHURCH, February 6. The Council of the Christchurch Chamber of Commerce has considered the Meat Pool Bill, and the opinion of the Council in regard to the proposed measure is contained in the following telegram, copies of which have heen fovwardod to the Prime Minister, Sir Francis Bell, and Mr Tsitt MB- : “That this Council is of opinion that the Meat Export Control pjU, 1921-22 considered with reference to its preamble and its clauses, is nothing other than a ‘wild cat’ speculation, at tl ie expense of the whole population of the Dominion, for the wildly speculative benefit of a particular section of. persons, who have suffered and will spjfer no more than any other section from the late war, and from the present world-wide depression of commerce; that the scheme of the Bill igpores qualified and able commercial work Wl experience over a long series of years, and well-tried and slowly-built and c 9 n " tinually improving channels of commerce; and it places the finance and preparation, and transport, and storage, and marketing of meat for export in the hands of an entirely irresponsible Board, composed solely of persons altogether unqualified in any way for the operations which are performed from the point of sale or delivery of live stock, at the farm or yards in New Zealand, to the point of sale of meat to th° retailers at the other end °f Urn world. Moreover, the scheme is pure, revolutionary syndioalmm, i* l that it ®i ves to an irresponsible Board absolute . power to seize and dispose of the. property and to destroy the established businesses of persons who have nq voice in its appointment: Such a scheme so conceived and so managed, both within its owp extent, and as an immediate precedent for similar others, is foredoomed t° such failure aa involve the whqle Hqminion in disastef both financially and as fo its commercial and political reputation, at (i time when sound sense and sound !U e th°ds are evermore becoming imperatively necessary,