THE MEAT TRUST.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3421, 27 February 1920, Page 5

THE MEAT TRUST.

OPERATIONS IN ARGENTINE. WARNING TO NEW ZEALAND. The Hon. W, Nosworthy, Minister for Agriculture; has receixged a copy of the report of the committee appointed by the British Board of Trade to consider meat hupplies for the United Kingdom in .1919. Dealing with the operations of the American Meat Trust, the report shows that, whereas in 1909, 37.0 per cent. of the meat trade of the Argentine was in the hands of British meat companies, 27.7 per cent. in the hands of Argentine companies, and 35.3 per cent. in American hands, in June, 1918, percentages of the trade held ‘by the different companies Were as folloW:—British companies 22.1 per cent, Argentine 9.8 per cent, American 68.1 per cent.

~ “Taking the total output of all the Plate works,” states the report, “we get the following approximate division to-da'y:—Ol-iginal British companies 18.5 per cent, Vestey and Las Palmas 16.1, Argentine Company 8.2, American companies 57.2. The American meat companies have continued in the River Plate territory in cooperation, interrupted by periodical fights to secure a larger slim-0 of’ the trade from their competitors; the two original British companies and the remaining Argentine company were forced into a ‘conference’ for the division of the trade, and there. is little doubt that, had not the.‘ war broken out, there would have been another disruption of the agreement to secure a share of the trade for Armouifs and Morris’ new works.- The Anlel'i<::ln companies have soine 45 per cent. of the capacity of the freezing works in Patagonia, about 75 per cent. of that of theuworks built or building in Brazil, and they are developing Paraguay.”