MEAT TRUSTS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3314, 18 October 1919, Page 5

MEAT TRUSTS.

A *-.-—o—OPERATIONS IN DOMINION. i GOVERNMENT‘ cnaneian WITH ASSISTING SCHEMES. In the HOUSE 0‘ Representatives on Thursday Mr G_. V. Pearce (patea): called B.ttClltiOll t 0 the Statenuznf; made by Mr Cainpbell Dickson, a Liberal. Labour candidate, as reported in the “Ngaruawahia "Advocate" of October‘ 10th that the American Meat Trusts}. had bean operating in the Domjnion for some time past and had received accommodation to the extent of two millions fromlthe h'nk ‘n which the’ Government was In.erested, but the Government had concealed the fact, One firm, Armour and Co., he alleged, was trading in its own name and was, about to secure control of the‘ New Zeaiand tradeas the trl.sts had done in ' the Ar-genfine. The G'ovesrnment,’. he held, wasipractically assisting the. trusts in their nefarious schemes. gir Joseph Ward: He is a very fine man. _ Mr J. Vigor Brown (Napier). He has‘ evidently touched the menrber for. Patea. (Laughten) L Mr Pearce asked whether the Govg ernment had- not passed legislation to enable them to combat the trusts by‘; refusing licenses to meat exporters; and, theret‘ol"e, was net the statement; that the Government was helping them in their nefarious schemes a deliberate falsehood. ; V ' Mr Massey said that Parliament baa agreed to legislation to make it difl‘icult, if not impossible, for the Ameri-:-can Meat Trusts to obtain a footing in‘this country. Evidently the candidate was not aware of that; but, at at?” events, it was the law of the land now‘. He could only say that the statement read out was _a string of falsehoodsi, He couldnot‘ characterise them in an? other v‘&';l}’.M.v..; ' ‘ ,' Mr Brown: The trusts have been trading here for years under other pen]-pl’s‘n-ames. -~ Mr VMassey: VVe ha he been trying to make it impossible. "Mr B1‘O'VVI1f:B!It’ they getiicenses in‘ other peopl°e’s names. I told youthat: years ago, but you did nothing about’ it. (H;ar, hear.) _ Mr M‘-.ssey denied that tliat?-lvvas the case. He added that in .connection with th: sale at Home of surplus meat not required for Army purposes*eonsent had been asked for Armour’s man to repr3°ent the firm, but the G{_)Yernment had refused to consent to it. They intended to keep" the trusts out of the country. _ V’

Sir Joseph Ward agreed that the’ staten'.3l"t quoted was not in a.ccord< ance with fact, because the suggestion.‘ that the Go\'el-nment was assisting Armour and Co. was quite withoutf foundation. He also very much doubt-a ed the statements as to the advancesj from the Bank of New Zealaud. He‘ was afraid, however, that, if the Housq was g-_»‘:‘:g—to discuss statements madet by men contesting elections, many‘, statemznts were going to be questioned fron: the other side too. He} hoped that they would do the businesslj of t'he.coulltry in tlfe ordinary way,’ and ‘UI-:.TI when the session was over! fight their elections asthey thoughfl fit. (Hear, hear.) Otherwise :1 great: deal‘ cf_time would be wasted. Pera Sonallg, he deprecated the introduction,‘ into the House of individual expresq siong or candidates, who often said wild things, He did not think it a.‘ good thing to introduce them for party political purposes. If it was done in one case it should be done general"-v%_ and he would very much‘ regret to see it. (He: -, hear.)

Mr Pearce said thr‘. the statemenfi he objected “to was that the Govern-' ment was assisting the trusts in their nefarious schemes. (Hear, hear.) [I3