THE MEAT POOL.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 February 1922, Page 8

THE MEAT POOL.

ADDITIONS TO THE BILL. IMPORTANT PROVISIONS. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) Several clauses were added to the Meat Export Control Bill in the House last week. The promised provision for the appointment of a representative of the stock and station agents is included. It is stated that in addition to the two members to be appointed by the Governor-General as representatives of the Government, the Governor General may appoint a member “as representative of perosns for the time being eßgaged in business as stock and station agents.” The appointment is to be for two years, but any such member may at any time be removed by the Governor General on the recommendation of the Board or may be reappointed at the end of any term. To clause 10 empowering the board to take control of meat for export is to be added a series of provisions establishing that the board is not to exercise its powers with respect to the sale of meat if it is satisfied that a contract for the purchase and sale of the meat exists before the Act comes into force, or after the coming into force of the Act, but before the board has given notice of its intention to assume control of that meat. It is required that in either event the meat is to be exported not later than October 31 next.

Clause 12 of the Bill as introduced requires that after it comes into force or any later time to be specified, no contract for the shipment of meat from New Zealand is to be made except by the board acting as agent for the owner of the meat, or in conformity with conditions to be approved by the board. This is to be increased in scope. The board will now be required to approve of all contracts for the shipment of meat made before the law came into force, except where they relate to the shipment of meat before October 31 next.

The first item in the enumeration of the particular powers of the board contained in clause 14 of the Bill is to make arrangements for “the grading, handling, pooling and storage of meat in New Zealand prior to shipment.” This is to be amended by striking out the words “in New Zealand prior to shipment.” A new sub-clause is to be added in the following terms. “For the purpose of securing any advances that may be made to the board or to the owners of any meat at the request of the board, the board shall by virtue of this Act and without further authority have full power on behalf of the owners, to give security over such meat, and to execute all mortgages and other instruments of assurances in the same manner in all respects as if the board were legal owners of the meat.”

It is laid down in clause 18 of the Bill that the board shall be deemed to be the agent of the owners, and the rights duties and obligations between the parties shall be determined in accordance with the law governing the relations between principals and agents. To this stipulation is to be added the following stipulation: “Save that nothing herein contained shall be construed to limit the power of the board to exercise, without the authority of the owner of any meat, any power with respect to such meat that may expressly or by implication be conferred on the board by this Act.”