SIR WALTER BUCHANAN.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 October 1919, Page 6

SIR WALTER BUCHANAN.

WELCOMED HOME AT FARMERS' UNION DINNER. Masterton, Sept. 29. At the Farmers' Union dinner at Masterton on Saturday evening, Mr. Hugh Morrison, who presided, extended on behalf of the farmers a hearty welcome home to Sir Walter Buchanan, who recently returned from a visit to Scotland. Sir Walter, said the speaker, was one of the iirst pioneers of the district, and had been the founder of the freezing works and other farmers' concerns. Sir Walter Buchanan, who was received with enthusiastic applause, said that he would not make a lengthy speech, as by doing so he would be in danger of delaying the pleasures of the concert to follow. It was sixty odd years since lii> had been in Scotland, and he had enjoyed his last trip to the full, but New Zealand would always be his home. Much as he would like to give them an account of his trip he could not burden

The chairman: You have three minutes yet. Please go on, sir." Sir Walter Buchanan then agreed to continue, but not on the pleasures of his trip. He spoke of the working, of the meat trusts. He had investigated extensively the operations of these trusts, and he had found that there were two iirmi, not live, with whom llioy had to contend. These were Swift's and Armour's, who were operating also in the Argentine, tho greatest meat country in tho world. Profits ranging from two millions to eleven and a half millions had been admitted by these concerns. The fanners had allowed these foreign companies to go a long way too far, and unless they combined so as to bring pressure to bear on the New Zealand Government, and later on the British Government, a serious situation would ar.'se i They must do something. { Mr, G, R. Sykes, M.P., also spol*