THE MEAT TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 272, 9 April 1913, Page 7

THE MEAT TRADE.

SPEECH BY SIR JOSEPH WARD. A SMACK AT REFORMERS. London, January 31. Sir Joseph Ward presided on Tuesday evening over the annual dinner of the Incorporated Society of Meat Importers. The attendance included Messrs. Gilbert Anderson, Alexander Chabbe (Veterinary to the New Zealand •Government), P. B. Proctor, W. Weddel, J. Findlay, F. T. Boys, Horace Fitter, A. D. Henderson, Harold Nelson. In proposing the toast of the evening, Sir Joseph said that the Society might be termed the Parliament of the Meat Trade of the British Empire, and for that reason he regarded it as a great privilege to preside over the gathering. He could carry his memory back to the days when there was no frozen meat trade in New Zealand. He recollected perfectly well the first shipment of frozen meat made from that country, and he remembered how some public men of that day held the view that it' meant, the ruination of the country. It was marvellous, now, to look back and see how some of the best men conjured up these ideas of what would happen—ideas which in a few years had proved to be entirely without foundation. In fact, the history of the trade seemed to show that the more sheen New Zealand sent out, the greater the increase the following year in the number of sheep remaining in the country. He attributed this to the fertility of the soil, the equability of the climate, and the wonderful beneficence of Providence to that country.

Sir Joseph then put a riddle. Whenever he asked a man in England, he said whether he ate New Zealand mut- | ton, that man always said "No." The same answer was returned to the ouery whether he ate Australian or River Plate mutton. Now. during the last twelve months, no fewer than twelve million carcases were imported into this country, and yet nobody appeared to have eaten them! Where do they all go? His answer was a simple one. namely, that the frozen moat brought in } from New Zealand and other countries was so fine and so good that the consumers did not know the difference between it and the best Welsh mutton. (Applause.) There were, he knew, many difficulties connected with the trade. Competition in the country, before export, was very keen, and lie estimated that 80 per cent, of the produce was sold before it left the shores of New Zealand. Notwithstanding this, there were men to 'be found to this day who held that they s'liould follow up the 80 per cent, already sold to the people of the Old Land, and tell the owners of, the meat in this country how it should be handled and disposed of. It was a remarkable thing in connection with this great industry that there ) were people in the different exporting countries who thought that everything I done at this end was wrong. He was J one of those who never held that opin- ) ion. (Applause.) He had told them' 'more than once in li'is own country, and he repeated it here. He was not so ohUvious of the conditions under which > trading was carried on as not to recog- J nise that when a man spent money in j purchasing a thing. If lie could not get a profit out of it, he would not continue ill that trade very long. After the meat was sold bv the men in New Zealand, if anybody could get a legitimate profit out of it at this end lie was entitled to it. (Applause.) Persons engaged in large commercial undertakings necessarily ran a certain amount of risk, and for that reason lie had more than once determinedly opposed a proposition which received support in New Zealand. Some years ago there was a strong movement to have all their carcases branded "New Zealand." hut he opposed this on the ground that if there were people in the Old Land who thought'they could do better by .selling New Zealand mutton as Welsh, then it was their own business. In any case, it would be a mistake on the part of am' legislature in any part of the world to attempt to j tell either the wholesale or retail trade j how he should conduct his lysine's after j that trader had paid his full price in

the country of origin. He believed in a ' trade being carried 011 with integrity, but he did not believe in interfering on sentimental grounds to dictate to the trader how he should market the produce and what he should do and should not do. There were people in Xew Zealand who believed that if they did not brand the carcasses with the words "Xew Zealand" then the carcasses ouirht to be put within the walls of one building 011 arrival in this country. He .did not believe in this at all, for in the ordinary course of business. Xew Zealand. Australian and I'iver Plate meat was all .sold in connection with the open ; market. From Xew Zealand there were still men coming over who believed they could revolutionise the whole trade o't the country, and it would be well for" them to realise that t.h« Old Land was pretty old, that it had a la.rue population compared with some of the oversea States, that it was from the Old Land that Xew Zealand had been peopled, and that it was from the Old Country s stocks that the Xew Zealand flocks had been crown. The Xew Zen hinders who c.ime over here with big ideas also ought to remembci that the City trader was keenedged in the matter of business, and was not going (o. pay 22s for £l. It was purely a matter of competition at this end. and. after all. it wn = clear to him at all events, that it would not be a wise procedure to come to this end of the world and tell the men who had already paid for 80 'per cent, of the nreduee how they should deal with it. The very fact that the trade had increased so much was an argument in favour of the conditions as they existed, and ho believed it would be most conducive to the owners of stock in Xew Zealand, if they did not try to run the business at this end, but recognised that everyone who paid his money and took risks was entitled to have a profit and ought not be regarded—as some people seem to regard him—as a man ready to indulge in sharp practices. Tie remembered more than one man leaving 'New Zealand with the pre-conceived idea that he could effect marvellous improvements at this end. and so get belter prices for the producer in 'h" 'Joininion. Tin' i n■ 1 :;iI e\the d:-<-iiVc!'v thai t!h> \vrj!jt|>"rs were not so (-1 !•■! :i aflrv ; i, f'i,v m

li-ii! to ;i' (!h( . I!"'"" 1>«.1 r..:t :i!ri ••<!»• V<!l . irl'ii'il Dili Ilrni-Jclvi'-.. I!r kui opposed ill- 111" - t : ! ' ■!! -1' ;Mi l ! f lit jllltx ill i ! : I. • 11. 'ln carry on such a hu<;c trade as t'ro/.en meat had become they would want a Rood many national depots, which would 'have to he in competition with estch ot her just as the present traders were. Til his opinion the men now ensrairod in the trade were th n national depots. In conclusion. Sir .los"))]i paid n tribute to the work of the Society which had added to the smooth carrying oil of the trade, and he assured them that the producers in New Zealand wore always endeavo'irinjr to turn out n better article. (Applause.)—"Christchureh Press."