MEAT AND SHIPPING PROBLEMS.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 20 February 1919, Page 3

MEAT AND SHIPPING PROBLEMS.

THE TRUST MENACE

tt^W. DOUGLAS LYSNAR AT HELENSVILLE.

THERE was a large gathering of farmers- at the Agricultural Hall Monday evening last to hear Mr Lysnar, of Gisborne, speak on the above subjects. Mr A. Mason was elected chairman, <*Bd introduced the speaker. Mr Lysnar said it gave him great pleasure to come to this district and introduce these matters. Every class of labour was organised except the farmers and they were the producers of tiie country with 87 per cent of production of the Dominion. It was the absolute duty of every farmer to support the Farmers' union. The speaker said he had warned the farmer against trusts and combines in 1910 and later in 1915, and again in 1917. France had made a request for his pamphlets on Meat and Shipping Trusts, and had had them reprinted in 25 languages. He had also had requests from America, Australia, and other countries. Every individual should take an interest, in his own concern no matter what walk of life he may be in. This is a farmers' fight. On meat the stock agent who buys gets 2 per cant; on wool, merchant dumping 9-16 of Id ; on bales of 3501bs 13/10, and in addition gets three weeks storage; wool merchant £750, shipping getting primage. Mr Lysnar said his statements had never been publicly challenged. The Auckland Provincial Executive Committee had endorsed every recommendation sent from Gisborne to the N.Z. Parliamentary Committee. Armour and Co had an office in Christchurch and employed one of the best men at a high salary to operate with them. The grave danger attending the operations of these trusts can best be illustrated by the effect that the trusts have had upon the countries they have already conquered. According to official statistics, before the meat trust secured its grip upon the United States of America, the stock there was steadily increasing, and was not only ample for the require-

ments of the population of the

States, but America was able to §? export large quantities of meat to England. But from the same statistics we find that when the tentacles of the trust commenced to close upon the American pastoralist interests, a steady decline of stock began, It is officially recorded in the stock oengus that between 190Q and 1911 there was a drop of two million cattle and six million sheep in the United States, For gome years past they have had to import meat for their own W- requirements. £ Further, it is stated that hunW: dreds of thousands of acres of American pastoral land have gone out of use during the past 15 years, showing that the domination of the meat trade by the trust is rapidly causing the pastojaHsts to abandon that calling for other occupations. A striking qontr^st to the l;ve stock in United States is afforded by Q-reat Britain, a far more densely populated country, whose flocks and herds have been steadily increasing, and this in spite of the admittedly more favourable conditions for the pastoral industry obtaining in North | America. According to a book entitled " Industrial Geography," published in Pennsylvania in 1914, the United States owned 16 head of cattle per square mile and-14 sheep, while the United Kingdom possessed 99 cattle and »fc|4 sheep to the square mile. For.^ew Zealand, am, authoritatively informed, the corresponding figures are %2A§ cattle and 239 <U sjieep. If our sheep and cattle are to tumble down like those of the United §tat;es, where would Hew Zealand be then ? The aujgg^n is 5 Are we going to disreSSljFsWch. a lesson as this, and allow the same paralysing tactics to be extended to our pastoral industries in this Dominion? Continuing, the speaker said Armour and Co. had purchased enormous quantities of rice and sent it up 65 per cent. They were dealing in all sorts of food *ksts butter, milk, etc. Five SSte operating have £51,900,000 bonds £14,800,000, total capital £66 700,000; net income profits W,182,0,Q0; or more than the ■■**' fetal Wenfte of New Zealand. thY pun3o.se qf these fi,rm,s- for m ope 'than t^lf" a century haye BLen-JP° monopolise all food, fnffV "to extort excessive, prqfits of all parts of the world. In 1915 our butter and meat

boats had been taken to carry meat and butter from the Argentine. The Trusts could get boats when no other firms could get them, not even the British Government. There were 240 insulated ships when war broke out, and 280 when war was over. Thousands of retail shops had been closed, but Trust shops could always be kept supplied. New Zealand meat sold for 3d or 4d; price in America 1/6.

Continuing, Mr Lysnar strongly urged the farmers not to sell to anybody. Farmers must combine and sell through channels not associated with trusts. He had known farmers go round and get an extra 3d per sheep or 5s per bullock, and he warned them, The Trusts were equally dangerous to producer and consumer. Wool and cotton goods had risen in price up to 250 per cent, the Trusts being responsible for this. While the worker was paying a high price for his goods, and the Trusts were keeping down the farmers' produce, this affected one and all.

These Trusts controlled no less than 60 Banks, the National City Bank being owned by Armour and Co. The shipping was working hand in glove with the trusts. The gross earnings in 1916 were £410,000,000, and in 1913 £127,----000,000; net profit 1917 fifty million, as against twenty million in 1913; made 67^i per cent interest in 1917, as against 10 per cent in 1913.

The speaker,laid stress on the fact that the Shipping Companies have got to be declared as common carriers. He then gave gave some interesting facts and figures from the Food Journal. Our mutton is being sold at same price as English, £6 9s, against £145s in N.Z. Butter, retail price is fixed at 2/6 per lb. There had always been a bogie and a slump predicted, but this was only a rumour. Ships were fast coming in with returning troops, and these would be available for the return of our produce. There was a big shortage of foodstuffs right throughout the world, and our produce would be required for the consumption of the masses.

The prices of woollen goods had risen 500 per cent, and if the wool-growers were getting prices in proportion to the present cost of cloth, they should receive 15/----per Ib for their wool—they should at least be getting 3^6 per Ib. Old rags sold at 2/9 per Ib. For instance, you get 1/2 for your wool, buy it back in cloth at 27/6, sell it when worn out at 2/9 —a bright state of things this.

The following motion was then carried —That this meeting urges that the necessary legislation should be enaoted as speedily as possible upon all heads, as recommended by the N.3J Parliamentary Committee, in order to protect the pastoral industry from the dangers of the Meat and Shipping Trusts, and that the commandeering of our produce should be stopped at the earliest date possible.

A vote of thanks to the speaker fqr his able address closed the meeting.