THE MEAT TRUST.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 May 1919, Page 4

THE MEAT TRUST.

OPERATIONS IN NEW ZEALAND. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The operations of the Meat Trust were discussed by the Wellington Farmers' Conference to-day. Mr Benton (Feathcrston) moved that the Government be requested to take further steps to prevent the Meat Trust from operating in this Dominion, and he stressed the danger of allowing the Trust to secure a firm footing in New Zealand.

Mr Hugh Morrison, in seconding the motion, said they were now called upon to fight an autocratic commercial combine. If the Trust was giving high prices for stock now, it was only a move to secure control, and later it would pay what it liked, and not what farmers wanted. Mr C. C. Jackson said the Trust was already operating in New Zealand. • Other speakers agreed that the only remedy was co-operation. The president, Mr G. L. Marshall, outlined the recent legislation placed on the Statute Book with the object of controlling the Trust, by giving the Minister discretion in the granting of export 'licenses to freezing companies, and asked: Were those means sufficienCS- He thought it was unsatisfactory tfiat full and absolute power was given to one Minister, and control at the other end was essential.

At Mr W. J. Birch's suggestion the motion was amended to read: "That the Government be requested to take all possible steps to prevent the Meat Trust from operating in this Dominion, and in the distribution of the Dominon's produce in Great Britain." The motion, as amended was agreed to. The conference also adopted the following resolution, moved by Mr 0. C. Read (Carterton): That the Government be requested to publish the names of the representatives- of the Meat Trust, and also the names under which the Meat Trust is operating in New Zealand.

A motion from Featherston was also agreed to. It read: That with a view to preventing agents of the Meat Trust operating in the dairy produce in this Dominion, the conference urges the National Dairy Association to advise all dairy companies to consign their produce to Home maxlce.ts, and arrange for their own means of distribution there. It was stated that the National Dairy Association had already taken tho matter in hand.