The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1919. A FORESHADOWED MEAT SLUMP.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3356, 8 December 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1919. A FORESHADOWED MEAT SLUMP.

With which is incorporated “The Taihape Post and Waimarino ~

No doubt farmers land meat freezing companies are quite alert to the fact that the Iniperiali Authorities have decided to discontinue the meat control early in the. coming year, and that they are already busy in arranging what the future of their meat shall be so far as the shipping supply will permit them. It is said that with the improvement of shipping facilities there have been such large deliveries of meat at British ports as to glut all stores. It is not let pait.icularl3' grati--fying situation the Imperial Authoritiesare leaving for the Dominions that have supplied meat at one-third its (value so as to equalise to a selling level the meat they purchased from American Trusts at nearly three times the price. New Zealand meat is to be dropped by the Imperial Government while there is a glut of meat in Britain, whilc stores are full to the d-oors, and meat ‘aririving has to be sold at what it will fetch. It is to be wondered whether New Zealand and Australian ila.rmc.rs will ever realise how efifectually the Trust u,<:-ntrollers of meat have them under their t:hunlb, and whether they will grasp the fact that the Imperial requisition is being abandoned after their meat -has‘ been brought down to a selling price which is less than -what they are receiving for it. It was stated in the British House of Commons that New Zealand meat was being sold to wholesale meat dealers at less money than was paid to the New Zealland farmer for it; that there was a glut in meat stores, «'and that the meat requisition would end early in 1920. All this is, we are told, the result of improvement in shipping facilities. New Zealanders may be inflicted with an abnormal attack of credulousness. but there credence is surely strained to- breaking-point with such a story. Instantly it was discovered that the British authorities were launched on a campaign to dis-i credit New Zealand me|a.t we commenced waiting for what it foreshadowed; we knew that when meat that had always been the very best Britain imported was ‘suddenly eharac.terised as being badly packed, badly wrapped, and was arriving,’ as 3, rule, in -the most; unsightly and objectionable condition, we knew ‘Satanic processes were at work. Will anyone believe for a moment that the quality of meat Sent "‘3°°“tl}' fl‘olll New Zealand, even combined with thlat"latc]y shipped from Alxstralia has. owing to in-¢l‘°-3SO<l shipping facilities ‘glutted the British stores and compelled the authorities to sell that meat at less than it cost? The people of these Dominions are patrio-1

tic, they have given their best life for the Empire, and they -have generously produced to feed and clothe i-110s lfimpire, but they will not tolerate Toeing looked upon andrtroated as fools] New Zealand farmers, whose meat has hitherto held pride of position in the British market, -are off-handedly told that their meat is arriving in a semirotten condition; that much of it 11118 to be destroyed; this is fOllOW9d ‘Vilh just as unbelievable a story that Austxalasian meat is glutting Britisll storage, compelling the -authorities to sell at less than cost; and, to Cl'o\Vll the campaign -of insult and injury, the British authorities are going to Cease the requisition while the m'3l'ket fol‘ our meat is in this condition. It is 111credible that the Imperial authorities would dare upon such :21. pl‘ogmTllmo if those in New Zealand whose duty it is to look after exporting industries, were not, to say the least, indifferent to this country"s bestginterests. It? hurts to say it, but it does look as though there was some devilish scheme already in Operation for meat ’f-I'IIS‘ES and shipping combines to 'nlak€ 3 grand coup at the New Zealand farmers’ expense; who the wire-pull Cl‘s in this deviltry are will be diSCIOSOd in the future—if they have good luck——-I when they are beyond the power of the* injured and robbed to secure that justice that should overtake ‘them. Where lthc\ information springs fl'om is Hot} istated, but it is cabled to this country that, “ The possibility of a further requisition for 1920-21 has been I‘o-? lll'otV(.‘d, but NO definite undertaking has been given regarding the lifting of accumulated mea-t.” The story continues, it is , only fair to New Zealand farmers that they should be promptly informed -of the Imperial Governm-«en.st’s _intelntions-, Iso that if (why if?) la, free market is restored they make arrangements for the resumption .of normal trading. Such iequivocal language is not worthy of ' the British authorities, and we do not believe it has emanated from them. If the possibility -of renewing the reqdisition has been removed. no IF is admissible, it is stupid; but if some trickery is in train such contradictory, clumsy verbiage is quite understandable. The I same message informs 113» that Mr Mas. r soy ll€'s kept the Imperial Government; )fully informed of New Zcaland’sl l views, but what good has he done? His ‘ irepresentations have resulted ——so the ‘ message st'ates—in there being no possibility of the requisition be. ing renewed, and. worse, there is -such a "glut in England that New Zealand meat is being sold at less than it cost. What ta prospect for’ farmers in making arrangements for! ,the resumption of ordinary marketing.‘ It cannot be stated when the meat in I this country will be lifted; and Newi Zcaland farmers, after all they have! sacrificed for the Empire, are told to, make arrangrements for selling their‘ meat in a glutted market, in which meat: is already selling at less than cost. It is hoped in some quarters that I Mr Massey ’s .I'epresont.atiolls may tend , to safeguard the Dominion against the} disadvantages of competition, in the] open market, of the reserve stocks of‘ roquisitioned meat; but this is mere shadowy hope, simply because ‘[ll2l 4-Xmerican supply has the shipping co:n—bine behind it, and any withholding of rcquisitioned meat from the marliedl ‘would merely create a meat trust opportunity. If British requisitioned meat is kept out of the market trust meat is benefited more than New Z::!3.~ land meat; the trust is more powerful than Mr Massey is; the trust has the’ shipping, and it looks as though Mr, Massey will be ignominiously defeated Anyway, the meat situation as dis‘ closed in a recent clable gives extreme cause for uneasiness; we are told that there is no possibility of the requisition being—renewed; the story as it stands is equivocal in the extreme, ren. dcring it altogether incredible, and we can only await "the denoucincnt that is not improbable, forito lelavp New’ Zealand farmers in the condition it so clearly outlines would place the Imperial Government in the category Of most callous and ungrateful people the world. has any knowledge of. It is singular that this clumsby, disturbing} meat situation should have been let‘ loose just before a general election. We know, however, that an alleged Meat’ Trust Company in Canterbury has just been refused a license to export meat from New Zealand. This refusal docsl not appear to have disturbed. the equanimity of the Trust, and while thci country was expecting some diversion] the whole thing has fallen flat. W'hatever the meaning of this nieatstoryi may be, it is certainly ‘advisable that farmers should be fully possessed of what is happening to their mutt trade. The long message from Britain now be. ing commented upon is irritajingly contradictory, so much so that it makes the impossible possible. and the , possible probable. If Mr Massey knows anything more than this‘ clumsily worded message conveys, farmers are c.e.rta.inl_v,entitled to every word of it. If any slump in meati values cvonfulatc in the very near future, it will fall heaviest upon meatgrowers, for whatever else happens the source of all wealth will be responsible for the count.ry’s ‘liabilities. All’ that seems possible is to wait for ‘develop-1 ments. -