The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 1919. A DOUBTFUL MEAT PROPOSAL.

Taihape Daily Times, 27 January 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 1919. A DOUBTFUL MEAT PROPOSAL.

(With which is Incorporated The Tai* hape Post t.ad WalEjiarl'Jo New®).

There is in England what is pleased to call itself the “Incorporated Society of Australian and New Zealand Meat Importers.” During the war this Society has been noiselessly working, too busy in acquiring the release of as much New Zealand meat as possible, and in passing it on to its butcheries in various parts of the kingdom to' retail to the huge army of wav-workers at from eighteenpencc to half-a-crowu per pound. Their occupations whiio war raged was too lucrative to allow | of talk, or of giving .anything like useful advice to growers of the meat, eleven to suggest any proposal in the producers’ interest in after-war conditions. They had their representatives going about New Zealand, however,' who were strongly urging producers to cut themselves clear of the Imperial' Government at the earliest possible moment, but these jackals of the meat lions did not succeed and the war prices for meat wera extended till June 30th of next year. This Society of middle men, as we will generously term them, were hit rather hardly by the New Zealand farmers’ decision, but they are more busy than ever trying to score, points with the aid of the Na- j tional Government before it becomes extinct. It is most significant that, 1 while our Government circulates amongst newspapers a plethora of trashy reports and documents, it ; fnvariably keeps from editorial view and use such supremely important publications as the Report of the Meat Trust Commission, and such documents? as it is receiving from the chief society of parasites on New Zealand meat in London. These London patriots have told our producers that they are not the exploiters; that it is the Imperial Government that has been pocketing the scandalous extortions on their meat, hut they are leaving no stone unturned to inveigle New Zealanders into some compact that will render their grip on the*meat as firm, or more firm, than it has been during the war and was before the war was declared. This Society of Importers have made their arrangements with the exporters at this end, and now they are commencing to approach farmers’ freezing companies. By the way, it seems that the owners and growers of the meat sliould have been the first to consult with, but the English Society held a different view; they first, arranged vith the men employed as exporters. ’f’he move of the British meat importers is proclaimed to be an endeavour to reduce the menace of the Moat Trust. Who are the most active members of the Incorporated Society of Meat Importers, and who are the chief representatives of the New Zealand meat exporters with whom the scheme to be submitted to the British Government has been discussed 1 ? Wo may be ever so far on the wrong trick, hut it has been made as clear as dajriight to us that members of the Meat Trust have got possession of the greater part of liberated meat during- the war, and we are of opinion that they secured the moat through ‘heir members having got themselves instituted a board for distributing meat released by the Imperial Government. We do not like the secrecy that Is being maintained, ond wo do not agree that withholding such supremely important proposals for the future disposition of New Zealand meat from' the people augurs well for the best interests of producers and people being conserved. , What the Loudon importers and New Zealand exporters sedvu to have agreed upon, and which they are now submitting to farmers through no less a parsonage than the New Zealand Minister

in charge of the Department of Tm perial Supplies (HAn. D, H. Guthrie) is, “that contracts be made between Now Zealand meat works and the Imperial Government, ensuring the shipment of seventy-five per cent, of meat to Britain.” No price is mentioned, and at first sight this looks like a desire to perpetuate conditions of the Imperial commandeer, bereft • f that important stipulation, the minimum payment per pound to the producer The other 25 per cent of meat would not be taken by the British Government but strange to say the proposal provides f;.r the payment of a subsidy of one farthing per pound. The meat is to be. handled by British firms under British Government supervision; provisio’n is made to prevent dumping; it is an entirely British scheme, and it includes production, shipping, finance and distribution. But it is too evident that production is the fifth wheel of this meat

coach, and the Auckland Farmers’

Company to whom it was submitted have taken the only sane course available, that was to tell Mr. Guthrie that the information supplied to producers is insufficient, and to ask him for further details. We have said the scheme may be ever so good, but the insinuating methods of its presentation are distinctly against it. We are also wondering who is to get the farthing per pound subsidy; it is not said that the producer is to receive it. The subsidy business reminds us of the Scddon Government being prosuaded into removing a heavy duty off kerosene so that people living in the backblocks, and poor people might have cheaper light, and farmers might have cheaper power for their milking and separating plants. This country learned something of trust methods by that notable little episode, for the price of kerosene went up at once to even more than the amount of duty that had been sacrificed by the Government. The people never got their kerosene any cheaper; and .they had the privilege of payffig extra taxation to make up the loss ofithe rathdr high Customs d'

that relinquished. Wc would seriously suggest to farmers that price is their salvation; the farthing subsidy as well as the kerosene duty, is very tempting, but some guarantee is wanted concerning it. In the case of the kerosene the farmer,and others were compelled to pay the-amount of duty instead of being relieved of it, and there is the possibility that producers may find themselves being forced to pay the farthing subsidy to the two gangs of middlemen, who are apparently so anxious, in addition to receiving an unpayable price for their meat. The scheme is too complicated to ho accepted without full deliberation and extreme caution.