MARKETING OF MEAT

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 785, 4 October 1929, Page 10

MARKETING OF MEAT

MR. LYSNAR SUGGESTS AMENDMENTS MIDDLEMAN'S PROFITS Prat Aitocia-.-.o . j introduced in Uje House tod y by Mr. D. Lysnar - He said hoped it would be treated as a nonj party measure, and that it would be ‘ ' sent sess - ■ • ted 1 ; cause of the general depression u.nd widespread unemployment. Lysnar claimed that ihe Meat ■ - ing of the produce in a proper manner. nd he profits were far too high. Trusts . produce] I sid 1 i iddiei men's • . £5 j farmers had that amount added to j their incomes they would not be likely i to comp! a sz ] ying . ? : tional £ 3*>o,»>ov in taxation. The main ! \ proposals in the Bill were to make the i | board representative of the farmers. ■ • to do away with the representative of j | commercial interests, and to make a i j reasonably effective effort to control j the [>pei rs s-owned 5 freezing works. ••THE RIGHT TRACK" Mr. M. J. Ravage (Auckland West) j ; said it seemed that Air. Lysnar was • on the right track. He trusted that • the Government would take up the Bill. Mr. W. J. Pc considered the subject was one of the most important that had been raised iin the House tit is session. Trusts ' tration and Tiovr only two independent » works wei ing in tl ion. The Meat Board had given good ! : service in many ways, including a i : reduction in costs to the producer, but j it was c loing n - Enormous ; fits re m • t f Xew Zealand produce when it reached the ! • other side of the world. Mr. D. Jor.es (Mid-Canterbury), who ; is chairman of the Meat Boaxd. said S all the facts h 1 not . plac 3 before the House. A total of 47.7 per cent, of New Zealand mutton and i lamb went to the Smithfield market j a n i any but ild go to t mar- | ket there and buy a single carcase. ! 1 He denied that the Meat Board had | j gone back on its policy so far as over- | j seas interests were concerned. The ! : board had passed a resolution that it i ' must give its consent to overseas j interest - buying meat in Xe Zea- | land. Every case was decided on its ! ■ merits. i Mr. J ones said the board’s sole inter- j ! est was that of the New Zealand producer. The percentage price that j the New Zealand farmer wjas getting j for his meat was beyond the index , price of every* other country. The !, man who formerly had been speculating and operating in New Zealand had . been entirely squeezed out. FOOD PURCHASING BOARD The Leader of the Labour Party', i Mr. H. E. Holland, said there had I never been a more favourable time j than the present to take up such a ! j matter. There was a proposal in the i I Old Country' to form a Food Purchas- , ! ing Board, and if the Xew Zealand ! J Government were to get in touch with i ' the authorities there it might be pos- j sible, through such board or by' some | ! other arrangement, to arrive at a • more scientific method of marketing our produce. The Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. G. W. Forbes, said marketing was i a difficult problem and he was glad ' that the British Government had de- ’ eided to take the matter in hand. He ; said that if farmers would combine to organise their own freezing works j there would be no need to worry : about trusts. The Minister said the measure proposed by’ Mr. Lysnar was one that could not be taken up lightly. He did not claim that the present marketing system was perfect, but he did not think it was the opinion of farmers generally that the Meat Board was not doing good work. He was sure that the farmers’ representatives on the* board would have made very urgent representations to the Government had they r felt that they were suffering any* injustice.

The Bill was read a first time