MEAT CONTROL BOARD.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 72, 25 March 1922, Page 13

MEAT CONTROL BOARD.

ACTION BY BOARD URGED. J (By Telegrajrtj.—-Press Association.>

REPLY TO CRITICISM. WELLINGTON, Friday. ' Certain statements made at the meeting of the Dominion executive of the;. Parmers' Union dealing with the election', of thp Meat Export Control Roard were', referred to by the Prime Minister to-Jj day. Mr. Massey stated that at a very ■ largely attended' meeting of producers held iv Wellington in January, a committee of 14 was elected, sCA'en from the North Island and seven from the South Island. These, with isix members of Parliament who had taken part ill the drafting of the original scheme, were the committee appointed by regulation under the Act to elect the first members of the Control Board. Five members Avere accordingly elected, leaving two to be appointed by the Government and another Avho was recommended by the stock and station agents. The two members appointed by the Government) were Mr. David Jones and Mr. A. E-j Harding, the latter particularly representing the Auckland and Taranaki d:e-| tricts, which, up to then, had not been j given a representative. The Govern- j ment took no part ill the election of the . board, and had positively nothing to do with it. "I think Mr. \V. D. limit, the nominee of the stock and station agents on the board, is personally interested in farm-l tng pursuits," concluded Mr. Massey,: "and 1 am quite certain that all the Other members, of the hoard are farmers and have the confidence of the farming community, not only in their own districts, hut right through the Dominion where they are knoAvn. The Control] Board has started well, and I believe i will do really good work.'" I PAYMENT OF THE LI.VY. CHRISTCHURCH, Friday. Speaking at a meeting of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, Sir Francis Boys complained that 1 the freezing companies had not been consulted as to the manner in which the meat pool levy was to be collected. It Avas little wonder that the scheme was unbusinesslike. It Avas simply gazetted that the charges were to be made, but no statement was made as to how the money was to be collected. If the intentions of the Government were borne out then some means must be found to pass on the levy to the producer. The luxury of the meat pool was for the benefit of the producer. He wished them luck. He could assure them the freezing companies need not bear the cost of the li vy, and Avhat was more, would not bear it. Those on whose account the meat was shipped would have to pay the charge of Id for each carcase.

HAWERA, this day. 11l connection with the action of auctioneers ill collecting the meat pool tax at Addington, Mr. G. V. Pearce telegraphed to Mr. David Jones, chairman of the Meat Pool Board, ao follows: "Urge board to strongly protest against action by auctioneers at Addington in deducting the export license levy. Evidently donp to prejudice producers against board."