MEAT EXPORT TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 March 1920, Page 6

MEAT EXPORT TRADE.

. . "SEND A COMMISSION HOME." UPSHOT OF PALMERSTON NORTH DISCUSSION. Palmerston N., Feb. 29 The meat commandeer was discussed by the Manawatu Sub-provincial Executive of the Farmers' Union at Palmer - | ston North on Saturday. [ A letter was received in which the Wanganui Sub-provincial Executive invited the meeting to endorse a resolution urging the Government to send Home the commission which had been selpcted some twelve months ago. Mr. Tancred Cooper, speaking for the Wanganui executive, gave it as his opinion that the commission should be sent Home. The members would deal with the Government officers direct, and not with the trust, and they would undoubtedly gain a lot of useful informaticn. It would be a deplorable thing if we were going to have a glut of meat in our stores when the commandeer was lifted. At Wanganui Mr. BurreU had read a letter from Sir James Wilson in which, the latter expressed surprise at Mr. Burrell's thinking it was too late to send the deputation Home. Sir .Tames had received advice from Sir Thomas Mackenzie and from Mr. Donald McLean (who was now in England) strongly advocating that a commission should be sent. Mr. C. Duncan attributed the position to the shipping combine find the Meat Trust. It had come to his knowledge through one who had just returned from the Old Country thaf the stores there were more than full, and that the Imperial Government wouin not let the meat out as it thought there was 110 guarantee that it would get further supplies from here at the conclusion of the commandeer. It was of opinion that the people at' Home would he on the verge of starvation in the near future if Australia and New Zealand sent 110 more meat. The Amencans wero in a sound position bpcavac they had their Meat Trust in the Argentine. Mr. G. A. Monk pointed ofct that New Zeatand had been asking the Imperial authorities to take away the meat in store in order t.o relieve the situation nere, and therefore they could ha\e no reason to fear that New Zealand at any rate would not maintain a supply. It was the American Meat Trust that was rel.eving the position to-day in that country. It resolved itself into a question whether the British Dominion; could bring sufficient power to bear on tire Imperial authorities to mak.i an attempt to "squash" the Meat Tru-t, or whether the Trust was strong enough to buy the British Government. One filing was certain: the trust was not stron" enough to buy the men whom if wa? proposed to send Home from here ai'.-' be New Zealand producers could nr.' in hotter than send them away iinmeu,.itoly. There was no doubt that ilieir interests had been neglected. He moved a motion to. Die effect that the executive should endorse the sending Home of the commission at lh<? earliest possible date. M-- F. \V. Hubbard, in seconding 'lie motion, said Sir Walter Buchanan had stated thai he favored sending Home a

commission, but did not favor the personnel of the commission that ha;l been set i,]> Some were of the opinion ii.&t Mr. Lysna: should be included in '.he delegation. Mr. Hubbard asked how many nkn wen- in u position to know what was the condition ol the meat in our freezing- chambers to-day. They should make it thti: business to find out the true facts of the case, and should know v.hat the meat was like. He had heard many siatements as to its unsoundness. Mr J. R?k:!l ventured the opinion that so fnr as the meat in our own cold stores was concerned, it was in pood condition. As far as he could gather, the trouble was that Hie temperafciira was 11 m kept to the proper point after the meat leit the stores, and this was a matter whk-h should be looked into. After liirlher discussion the motion was carried.