The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1917. THE MEAT TRUST COMMITTEE.

Taihape Daily Times, 4 December 1917, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1917. THE MEAT TRUST COMMITTEE.

(With which is incorporated The Taihape Post and Waimarino News).

Sixteen Members of Parliament -srere appointed, during the late session, to be a Committee to enquire into the operations of that organisation known as the American Meat Trust, and to report upon the present position and future prospects of the export meat trade of this Dominion. This Committee was given power to call for persons and papers that were at all likely to furnish evidence on the subject of their appointment. Twenty-three meetings were held and t.wenty-nine witnesses were examined, all at considerable length, and including the Prime Minister and Sir Joseph Ward. The pronouncement of the Committee upon the existence and wide operation of the Meat Trust in this country is decided and incapable, of much qualification. Very much of the evidence that does not convince is simply of the not proven character, and it leaves a distinctly nasty flavour on the palate of ones intelligence. The Committee had no difficulty in saying straight out that the Meat Trust is at work amongst us in the full bloom of its detestable methods; that freezing works at Westfield and at Whangarei are owned by the Trust, and that the great Chicago Meat people, known as Ogden Armour of Chicago, according to its own business circulars, has business establishments in this country. The Parliamentary Committee has, at least, removed all doubt about the Meat Trust being with us in considerable force, and that others who cannot by evidence, be linked up with the Trusts, are still plying precisely Trust methods, and, further, there seems from a careful study of the bulky evidence, every shade of meat operators, ranging from those who are out and out Trust representatives right down to the honourably conducted farmers' freezing company] In fact it is only by farmers in this district standing loyally by their own freezing works that they can make sure of not assisting the octopus that has its tentacles well out over our chief industry with the one object of eventually getting entire control. The evidence taken by the Committee makes clear how matters are worked in squeezing the farmer out of handling his own meat, of conducting his own business in his own way and for his own profit. This is how it is done; when one of companies, operating on Trust lines, decides upon swallowing a farmer's company, it sends its buyers among the very owners of the freezing works, and they go so far as to offer two, three, four and sometimes more shilings per head for stock than is the Government commandeered price, more than the fixed export value. These companies do not mind losing a few thousands of pounds in trying to make farmers believe that they can never get so much for their meat through their own works, and when the time seems opportune they offer to buy the works, at a good price, that farmers have erected. It must not be assumed that' they would continue to run those works, for a multiplicity of works means difficulty of handling and much less profit than if works are centralised at one convenient place. The Otaihape Freezing Company was closed down last season because prices were given for stock throughout the district that resulted in loss to the -purchasers, and then comes along an offer to buy the works. To the eternal credit of our farmers be it said, they

were sufficiently patriotic not to be tempted to taking the trust-looking-bait. The report of the Parliament ary Meat Committee should be in every meat growers' hands; to get this report, and to study it is a duty every farmer owes to himself and his country. The evidence given by Ministers of the Crown, and by the representa- j tives of Armour and Co., and of ■ others plying the trust methods p£ meat cornering, is particularly interesting. In fact, the testimony of every witness assists in establishing clearly the danger to which the New Zealand meat industry is exposed. What does the Committee find? It finds that the Meat Trust is" operating largely throughout the country feoin ftortin to south. What does it recommend our Government to do? It says the Government should, at once, give power to make it illegal to grant concessions in consideration of exclusive dealing, and to prevent special rebates. The object of this is obvious; the Trusts are giving more than export value to get control of stock; the controlled stock will be taken !to works in league with Trusts in consideration of concessions and rebates given, and farmers' works may close down, as the Taihape works were forced to do last year, and after huge losses were sustained. Then interested people offer to buy the works, lock, stoek and barrel. When this is accomplished the is "Trustified," and, of course, prices in excess of fixed export value cease, and there is no choice left to the farmer. The real trouble is held in abeyance till the British Government no longer wants the meat; it is then farmers will realise to the full what it is to have their district in the hands of the Trust. The Meat Committee in its report also recommends the Government to control monopolies, prevent unfair trading by freezing, or shipping companies; to issue licences to freezing works and meat-exporters; to treat shipping as common careers; to prohibit pooling of freights and earnings, stop preferences, compel just charges and the exhibition of printed schedules Of freight. The Government is recommended to control export of frozen meat, and in conjunction with the- Imperial Government, the .distribution of meat in Britain; that the Government should establish a controlling interest in the freights and shipping between this country and Britain, and that the Government should, in the interests of small producers, and in view of the probable shortage of space, take power to prevent large buyen monopolizing space in freezing works during the war.* ; The Committee found that in some countries 'the American Meat Trust had already established control of the meat trade. They found that this control was gained by precisely similar methods to those the Trust is applying here. It first inflates prices of stock to kill competition, and then acts detrimentally to the producers, by forcing prices down below fair market value, and to the consumer by imposing excessive prices. We sincerely hope that every farmer will thoroughly digest what the sixteen Members of Parliament, comprising the "Meat Export Trade Committee," after exhaustive examination of witnesses, and documents, find and # recommend, for then we shall feel satisfied that all the meat that is not already within the clutches of the Meat Vulture, will go into the farmers' own freezing works.