TRADE AFTER THE WAR.

Taihape Daily Times, 13 December 1917, Page 5

TRADE AFTER THE WAR.

MR ■ MASSEY'S ADVOCACY. WHAKATANE, Dec 11. n an allusion to submarine outrages in his speech to-day, the Prime Minister said he hopeu that after the war these outrages would be remembered in connection with any movement that iight be initiated for the resumption of trade relations with the present enemy countries. This question had been discussed when he was at Home, and the answer always was "No." There was now a suggestion, however, that as a means of assistiug to bring about peace, Germany should be allowed to resume her trade relations with the British countries on the previous terms. He hoped that this would not be allowed. When the war ended it would be necessary to inaugurate a policy of developm aut throughout, the whole of the British Empire. If the British people had done their duty "in this respect during the past half century, Great Britain would not have been in the position, during war, of having to go outside the Empire for a portion o* her army supplies.

MEAT TRUST METHODS,

MR MASSEY'S DECLARATION

WHAKATANE, Dec 11

Operations of the meat trust were Teferred to to-day by the Prime Minister in his speech at the oponing of the freezing works. He said he not an alarmist, but, from what had

come under his notice, he was convinced that it was necessary for the producers of the Dominion to be on their guard against the advent of the meat trust, or the beginning of trust methods. The meat trust was out to make money, and if it could not make it out of the producer at one end, it would make it out of the consumer at the other. He did not think that it should be allowed to squeeze either producer or consumer. Practically the whole of the meat output of the Argentine, and also the railway and shipping interests were under the influence of the trust, and the effects of the system were such that, although Argentine was only about half the distance of Australia and New Zealand from the .British markets, the price received there by producers for stock was far below the price received in this Dominion. They must, provide in New Zealand against the recurrence of what had taken place in the Argentine, and it would be their duty, either by legislation or regulation, to reqpire that it should be a condition of the licenses issued to freezing companies that no trust methods should be permitted in x he conduct of their works. The trust method had to be stopped once and for all, and he believed it would be stopped.

POLICY OF DEVELOPMENT. AN AFTER-WAR NECESSITY. WHAKATANE, Dec 12. "Arrangements are being made so that when the war ends the demobilisation of the Dominion's force can be commenced at once," said Mr Massey in a speech to-night. The Public Works Department, he said,, could employ 12,000 men as soon as the war ended. The money would be ready, and implements and material were already ordered, or were on their way to New Zealand. "We are going in foT a big policy of development in the Dominion when the war is over," he continued. "It is absolutely necessary that we should do so if we are to avoid severe financial depression." He stated that he had instructed the Lands Department to set aside blocks of land for returned soldiers in every part of New Zealand and also for ordinary settlers la readiend of the war. It was proposed to employ the returned men at current wages to do the necessary preparatory work on the land. When it was fit for settlement they would have the first chance of taking it up.

CHEESE FACTORY DESTROYED. HAWERA, this day. The Kakaramca cheese factory was completely destroyed "by" fire~ yesterday. Insurances in the "State office total £2374. No other details are available.

GENERAL GODLEY'S DESPATCH. WELLINGTON,. Dec 11. ' In ihe course of a despatch dated October 7, received by Sir James Allen from General Godley, the com* mander says:—"The Fourth Brigade did most excellently and they have absolutely proved themselves fit to rank with the other brigades of the division. The First Brigade added another page to its record of the land- v ing at Gallipoli ,th e Battle of Krithia, the Battle of Sari B'air, the evacuation of the Peninsula, the Battle of the Somme, and the B'attle of Messinos. The fighting is gradually becoming of a much more open character, and there is no doubt that the Boche is becoming very demoralised, and if the weather will only hold up for a bit longer and we can deliver a few more blows before the winter

sets in, it will go a very long way towards the end.

"The best, sign of all was the demoralisation, not only of the troops, but of the enemy commanders. Staffs and units were 'chucked' into the at' tack anyhow, obviously without proper preparation or method or ordeYs, and on our front alone we took prisoners from a very large number of German divisions. Their artillery retaliation, though severe, was" "vefy desultory and unmethodical and irregular. The whole of the battlefield of our advance is covered with dead Germans, and there is no doubt that a very large number have been killed since the beginning of this third battle of Ypres "I have just agreed to the Pioneer Battalion being named primarily the Maori Battalion, and to their having back the badge of the original Maori Contingent, which was altered when the Pioneer Battalion was first formed, and it was necessary 15 introduce a number of pakehas into it. This should entirely satisfy the Maori sentiment."