MARKETING PRODUCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 December 1921, Page 4

MARKETING PRODUCE.

scheme to handle meat. A POOL SUGGESTED. T THE GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSALS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Mr. Massey made his promised statement to the House this afternoon on the marketing of New Zealand produce at Home. He said there was no need to cm phasise the fact that the present position was far from satisfactory, and thi: had caused the Government to go caret fully into the whole matter. He quoted, figures to show how South American production of meat and lamb had. increased in recent years, thus tending to increase the glut on the London market. Even Patagonia was becoming a serious competitor, her meat being equal to second-class North Island meat. A meeting of the Committee of Producers was being held in Wellington tomorrow, and details oi the Government’s scheme would be submitted to them for consideration. Mr. Massey went into details to show how costs were running up. In one instance recently a ship took ninety days going round the coast picking up cargo, and as a remedy of this sort of thing he suggested that more small ships should be insulated so as to carry, meat to the larger ships in the main ports. Delay in unloading was also a serious factor in increasing costs, and this delay was greatly aggravated by the numj ber of bills of lading and marks. He' quoted figures to show how this seriously complicated the question of delivery at the other end. Now the question was what was to be done to overcome these difficulties. What was proposed was a meat pool. That meant, first, universal grading, under which the identity of meat would be lost in' the process; each shipper would simply own a certain number of carcases of first, second or third-class meat, as the case might be. The grading would be done by Government experts, of whom there were quite a number. About that there would be no difficulty. Under the pool he considered marketing could be carried on, because the pool could supply the market according to market requirements. Of the finance of the pool he did not care to go into details at present. The scheme might have to be compulsory; he thought it would 1 ve to be, but is that case the consent of a very large portion of sheep farmers would have tfl be obtained, and legislation mignt be necessary on that point. There was no difficulty about the position of the Government, and the services of the Board of Trade would be required. They had the experience of the commandeer, and although the cases were not quite the same, he felt there was enough in that case to encourage them to go on in this. If the scheme had a Government guarantee behind it he had no doubt it would succeed, because he believed the farmers got more for their meat properly marketed in England even now than they would get z , from local butchers. The Government was interested in this, because they had. both land and income tax to collect from the farmers. Something of the kind might have to be done with butter as well, but of that he would speak in a few days. "The main points of the scheme to be considered were Dominion grading, regulation of supplies, finance, whether the scheme was to be backed by Government guarantee, economy at both ends, and legislation if the arrangement is to be compulsory. He did not regard the scheme as anything in the nature of a trust; he thought rather it would fcend to check trusts. Discussion on the scheme will take place when the House meets at 2.30 p.m. to-morrow.