THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, JULY 10, 1913. THE MEAT TRUST.
ISo far as meat is concerned, the reductions an the American tariff regrants a big blow at the American ?w T i7 lSt - But des *> ite the fact taat the representations cfi ''" American packers to th" Uie ?L^ S i liUS + t^> "' - authorities the*Mvho**- .. e foiled, there are we**~ _ ul lmkl thait tihe meat in .
.-o of that country will still control the situation owing to the prominent position they have' already secured in the Argentine trade. Writing on the subject froinvXew York, Mr A. H. Benjamin, who is interested in the development of the Australian meat trade, says: "The people of Australia do not realise the powgr of the Meat Trust. It will" he a miracle if this gigantic concern is prevented from getting a foothold in Australia. ' The United States Government has j' been prosecuting the combine almo? J in every State in the union with securing to date a conviction a- oxit then- illegal nethods of w gainst ine latest, move of the Bo?" onopoly culture is to prepare a.-' rd of AgriBill, preventing the ' Oold Storage lions of pounds of fr aoW ; ng of anilerafcci chambers/ jodstuffs in refrig- • months. \ty over'a period-of six will prevent , thought that tins Bill ing cold sf for any indefinite period ii price jrage j n orclei , to manipulate m<- s the world over, besides being a
nace to health. The Bill will give uisoretionary power to the superintendent of the Health Department to allow an extra, three or six months at the most. While I believe this will be a temporally remedy, and will lower prices, eventually the trusts, with Australasia in their grip, will control the world's exports, and high prices will rule to suit the packers' interests at the cost of the consumer and pastoralists. How such conditions oan affect tlie patoralists or sheep-farmers can he easily explained. Tlie trust acquired in its early stages .practically every large uateree' in the United States of America,, so
that the small main found it impossible to compete against it, and finally threw in his lot with the combine. It has practically done the same in Argentina, and three of its agents are now in Australia, and have, been getting the best information with the ob- ; ject of controlling that end of the j world. The consensus of opinion on j'our side is that this is impossible. I venture to say, from -my three years' experience, that nothing ig impossible for the Meat Trust. It has millions at its back, and to absorb the big Queensland -works and other Sydney meat concerns would not present any difficulty. This would form the key of admission, and would control Flemington Yard® aft Melbourne .and' Hcnebush, New South Wales; then the grower 6 would be the lambs, a<s the price would be fixed' by this organisation, and they would have to take what was offered by the combine. The Meaft Trust controls the pastoral industry to-day of the United Stateg of America, and with such j power might easily acquire control ii [ Australia and Now Zealand. It would h;ve no scruples in doing it in orde to protect its own meat shipped f: Argentine and the United States t London. This ig the object in view and every grower and every 00$ sumer throughout the land should guard against it. Those in the trade ,\ru aware of the prominent pirt this Moat Trust took in preventing the introduction of Australian and No Zealand meat into the United State and the recent visit of representatives to Australia was caused through these importations. Sir Joseph Ward .wisely' sent his trade agent here, M: J. Graham Gow, and the latter gen tloman is quite satisfied that the exclusion of New Zealand lamb was due to the Meat Trust's action. A subsidiary company of-the. trust sent a repiresentaltive to me personally, and said it. was prepared to purchase all the meat under way to the port of New York. The object was perfectly clear; they did not want any of this meat to interfere with the local trade, and when they found this was impossible, other .method's were devised- to prevent the importation, • and ihey partially succeeded.''' I feel surest the Australian people outside M 'the meat trade do not realise the power of this combine; but, looking at the situation entirely with Australian -eyes, I have « firm conviction that if the t;ust sets a footho'd in Australia or New .'Zealand, then ill less than ten years it will control not only the meat trade, bat the entire food supplies, and gpei! ruin to everv wort! and fi'.ittle-groiver in the O-mmonvcalth."
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Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 10 July 1913, Page 4
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786THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, JULY 10, 1913. THE MEAT TRUST. Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 10 July 1913, Page 4
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