THE MEAT POOL.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 December 1921, Page 6

THE MEAT POOL.

PROPOSALS CONDEMNED. BROKERS DEFENDED. Bj' Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Dec. 22. Mr. Charles Elgar, chairman of the \\’ellington Meat Export C 0.,, who 'has just arrived from London, said: “As far as I understand Mr. Massey’s proposals they are basically wrong and cannot pos-. sibly succeed. It is quite a mistake to formulate any scheme at the present time, when things are far from normal anywhere.” Asked what he thought of the suggestion of the Premier for setting up a committee of experts in New Zealand and another committee of experts in London to forward and receive mert, Mr. Elgar detailed the routine at present observed in selling meat in London. This routine has been built up after years of experience, and the men engaged in the business are some of the cleverest brains in England. At present New Zealand meat is sold through brokers in London,, and any scheme, such as Mr. Massey propoed, would naturally antagonise them. “If the committee superseded them you would simply drive them into dealing with the meat of other countries,” said Mr. Elgar, "and I may say that the competition is quite keen enough as it is in all except lamb. It is no use making enemies of these brokers, who have been in business for years. Even if Mr. Massey should say: ‘Oh, well, we intend to still employ these brokers; we will do business through them but under control of the committe,’ I still maintain that the pool is a mistake. My reason for saying so is that if you are going to employ these London brokers there is no reason whatever for the committee and the costly army of, officials, because these London brokers are at the top of the tree in their business and know exactly when to sell better than any committee can tell them.”

MR. MASSEY’S SCHEME. MAY OPERATE THIS SEASON. PRODUCERS TO BE CONSULTED. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, Dec. 21. The meat pool is suspected of having been inspired by the scheme of co-oper-ative shipping and marketing with which Mr. W. J. Polson has been tickling the ears of the farmers during the last few months. The Dominion President of the Fanners’ Union is not favorably disposed towards State interference in any form, except,’ perhaps., in the shape of a subsidy to a farmers’ shipping line, and his

scheme has not contemplated any active intervention on the«part of the Govern ment. But Mr. Massey, who years ago took much the same view of such matters as Mr. Polson does now,, has come to realise by travel and observation that State interference within certain bounds need not be the abomination he imagined it to be in the days of his political youth. Mr. Polson’s scheme provided for the purchase of ships, the erection of stores,, the organisation of an expert staff, and for many other things that would have cost a large sum of money and occupied much time. THE STATE’S WAY. At the present time it would be quite impossible for the farmers to finance such a scheme, even with generous assistance from the Government. Mr. Massey's scheme provides for the Government taking charge of the meat at the freezing works and seeing it through all its succeeding stages tili it reaches the distributors in the overseas markets. The meat being graded at (be factory, in preparation for its being sold according to its grade, would save the cost and delay and damage of sorting and repeated handlings, and the Government’s arrangements for railing, shipping and marketing might be expected to effect further economies. On these points local business men, closely associated with the meat trade, are not

particularly sanguine of State control working out as satisfactorily as its friends predict it will,, but the producers are in such a sorry plight just now that public opinion inclines to the view that any attempted remedy would be better than callous inaction. STATEMENT BY PREMIER. The iinnouncement of the meat pool project would have an unsettling effect on those in the meat trade unless it was definitely known whether the scheme was to apply to the present season’s exports.. said Mr. G. Forbes (Hurunui) in the House of Representatives. Mr. Forbes wihsed the Prime Minister to clear the matter up as far as possible. He suggested that everything possible should be done to put the eheme into operation this season. The Prime Minister said that that was what was intended., If possible, the scheme would be made to apply to this season’s meat. Ho did not think it would be possible t® apply it to arrangements already made or to arrangements to be made during the next fortnight or three weeks. It was intended to°eonsult a representative gathering of producers from different parts of New Zealand. He did not know whether the date for the meeting had been fixed, but it would be about the day before Parliament resumed after the Christmas adjournment, or on the day on which Parliament resumed. The Government, wished to make the scheme apply, to the present season if possible, but the proposals were of great importance and they could not be rushed on, because the services of men who thoroughly understood the trade and possessed great ability must be obtained. Such men were not picked up every day.