THE MEAT TRUST.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 July 1917, Page 7

THE MEAT TRUST.

NEW ZEALAND (HELPLESS, without co-operation op imperial GOVERNMENT. (By Wire—Own Correspondent). Wellington, June 3. Outspoken reference to the operations of the Meat Trust, was made by Sir Joseph Ward in the House of Representatives this evening. The Minister said that during Blfi the United Kingdom had imported 400,000 tons of meat, and of that quantity 300000 had passed through tbe hands of the American Meat Trust. The organisation was operating on a very big scale indeed "This Government and this Parliament are powerless to deal with the meat trust unless the British Government co-operates," said Sir Joseph Ward. "We can iflass any laws \we like at this end, but we will not be able to reach the organisation that did business to the amount of £250,000,000 last year. The Trust is established firmly at the other side of the world, and it is able to pay higher prices than any New Zealand merchant or agent can pay there, thus controlling the whole of our supplies outside tbe Dominion. Those who are opposed to the Trust realise that it is only a matter of time when they must knuckle down to it or'go out of business if this state of affairs continues. The key to tbe position is that for Mie supply of beef the butchers of the Old Country must go to the Trust for their beef. Americans control most of the Queensland beef, as well as the Argentine supply. If butchers do not go to the Trust for their beef they stand a good chance of getting no mutton. If Iwe are to solve this question we must turn to tbe sysem of distribution in the United Kingdom. It is a question of whether the British Government is prepared to join with tbe oversea countries in buying all the (beef imported into (Britain ,and then arranging for its distribution. "There is no use indulging inanysentiinentalism on the subject, The whole of the meat exported from this country last year -was worth £7,000,000. The Meat Trust had business amounting to . £250,000,000 last year. "There is a fanners' company in this country controlling freezing works that is selling meat to the Trust. The company is selling simply because the Trust pays the best price. Do the farmers approve of that? I do not Mame the company particularly. The Trust is a fact that we have to face. The only remedy I can suggest is that the British Government should join with us in the purchase of meat, the New Zealand Government buying here, and the British Government (buying in the United Kingdom and arranging for distribution. Then we would have the matter in our own hands. No private organisation in this country can deal with the Trust. None of the ordinary meat interests in the United Kingdom can do it. The Trust can b» fought successfully only (by State action on a comprehensive scale."