PROPOSAL SUPPORTED.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 65, Issue 239, 20 July 1945, Page 5

PROPOSAL SUPPORTED.

CO-OPERATIVE MEAT WORKS 't ■ ■ i . f : . ‘ RESOLUTION BY FARMERS. (P.A.) WELLINGTON, July 19. The possibility of establishing farmers' co-operative meat freezing works was discussed at the annual confer-, ence of the New Zealand Farmers’ Unioii to-night. A remit was put by the Dominion executive that: (a) a committee be set up to discuss with the Meat Board and the electoral college of the board the policy of co-operative ownership of any suitable freezing works which might be offered for sale, and that financial assistance from the Meat Board be fully discussed; (b) proposals for acquiring a freezing works, to be operated on a co-operative basis, be supported; (c) the placing of a caveat on the sale of meat works be endorsed, and the Meat Board asked to place full data before farmers at the earliest possible moment. This was approved unanimously. Mr J. L. Hammond (Marion) said members had been put on the Meat Board two years ago to stop the sale of further works to overseas interests. The board decided on a co-operative policy as an alternative. The Govern- 1 ment would accept a farmers co-opera-tive, or failing that,, allow the sale to Swifts. There would be no “dry” shareholders in such a co-operative works, but the holdings would be on the basis of stock offered. The works would be for killing only. If farmers wanted an operating company, they must be prepared to do as they had before, lose hundreds of thousands of pounds and their works. Ngaruahanga was a key

works, killing 600,000, and was leased to Swifts for five years. It would be unfortunate if the works came on to the market. Though it was a bhd works to start a co-operative scheme, the fact remained that it was offered. Mr G. H. Grigg and he had addressed meetings before Taihape and Wellington, but farmers were reluctant to give a 10-year guarantee to supply stock. The policy of the Meat Board was, and would continue to be, to refuse to give the works to Swifts. It was unfortunate that past boards had allowed the position to drift. Wonderful central works in good districts had been allowed to go to overseas interests. There were three courses: First, rationalisation of the meat industry; second, the old way of raising share capital, in which they had lost both their money and the works; third, the only logical plan, devised by Mr W. W. Mulholland and himself, the co-opera-tive principle, which had been proved in the dairy industry, and where truly tried had rarely failed.