TRUSTS IN MEAT TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 November 1921, Page 5

TRUSTS IN MEAT TRADE.

OPERATING IN NEW ZEALAND. MONOPOLY OF MEAT MARKETS. LOSS TO THE PRODUCERS. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wanganui, Last Night. “I disagree entirely with trusts, as they are not in New Zealand for the producers’ benefit, said Mr. Polson, Dominion president of the Farmers’ Union. “I am not in favor of Armour’s, but I disapprove of the extraordinary way that the Government has gone, about things. Armour and Company have a legitimate grievance, and could mulct the Government in heavy damages. They put all their cards on the table and told them what they proposed to do, and after they had done it the Government, not by legislation, but under the Customs Act, came down on them. “I want to see Armour’s meat got out of the way. The point seems to be this: While they are worrying about Armour and Company not shifting their meat, they are not worrying about the trusts actually owning freezing works in New Zealand, without word from the Government at all. At present we are trying to build up a co-operative system to send our meat Home and market it to the retailer instead of the middlemen getting enormous profits, but what is the use of that when the bulk of our freezing works are owned by foreign trusts. The Government are making a tremendous noise about Armour and Company getting a quantity of meat out of New Zealand after consulting them, but they should pass legislation to prevent foreign trusts owning any freezing works in New Zealand without the full consent of the Government. They are bothering about a shadow and leaving the substance alone. Armour and Company should be allowed to go on and get rid of the meat they have already bought. “Trusts at the present time have practically a monopoly of the world’s beef market, and the butchers Home have to go to them because they are dependent upon them for mutton too. The result is that the trusts pay the New Zealand producers what they like and sell at their own price too. New Zealand ewe and wether mutton is bringing at Home 5d to and there is authentic information that in no case is it retailed at less than Is 6d per lb, a f&ct which has been backed up by cables from the High Commissioner. During the war there was a regulation that the Home butchers should only get 3d per lb profit, and they did particularly well. Now they complain through their trade journals that they are only getting 2d per lb profit. Seeing the price that the New Zealand producers got the question was: Who was making the other Is Id or Is 2d? There is no question about the powerful organisations in London making hundreds of thousands out of New Zealand products, and like a lot of sheep the New Zealand people let them do it. We must see that the trusts do not control our freezing works, and this is where legislation is needed.”