A VETOED PURCHASE.

Auckland Star, Volume 23, Issue 23, 28 January 1926, Page 6

A VETOED PURCHASE.

It was thought by some that the new Minister of Agriculture would, be less disposed than his predecessor to interfere with private enterprise, but one of Mr. Hawken's first acts has been to refuse the transfer of the Wellington Meat Export Company's works to Thos. Borthwick and Sons. The Minister has acted in accordance with a recommendation from the Meat Producers' Board. The decision, opens up very important issues. Power to refuse transfer of licence was taken in order to protect the meat free-zing industry from being concentrated in the hands of a few great private companies, and especially from invasion by the United States Meat Trust. It was argued that if the industry got into the hands of a few of the largest meat interests the producer might be ''squeezed." In the case of an American firm this law was put into operation. It was contended that it should have been applied to the sale of Gisborne works to Vestey's, but the Commission that inquired into the question reported that the Government had been justified in allow-ing the licence to be "transferred. In this case, however, the purchasers closed down their existing works in the district, so that there was no extension of their hold in the industry. If Thomas Borthwick and Sons bought the Wellington Company's works they presumably would increase the number of their establishments by one. The problem is complicated by the fact that co-operative freezing companies have been experiencing an anxious time, and some of them bave not been able to pay their way. Some of them lack capital, and it may be surmised that the management has not always been firstclass. The farmer has been too prone to think that success in the world of business is easy. A combination of this confidence, a desire to cut out the profits of the middleman, and boom prices, has given New Zealand more freezing works than it needs. The big overseas interests have far more capital than New Zealand companies, they are aided by their organisation in Britain, and they command tin* services of the ablest men. The Wellington shareholders were asked to sanction one of two proposals —to sell to Borthwick's or to raise £200.000 in new capital. The sale to Borthwick"s was approved. Now that the Government has vetoed it, the company will have to raise more capital in order to carry on. It vvill not rind it easy to do so. Apart from the difficulties in the industry which make many investors chary of lending their money to it. the Government's action is a definite deterrent. Men with money to invest will not be greatly drawn to an industry in which there is a substantial risk of their being refused the right to realise their assets in the open market. The Government's refusal of a licence to Borthwick's is in effect a notification that no freezing company in New Zealand has this right of realisation. It is true that the law that has been invoked has been in operation for eight years, but the act of refusing a trausfer of licence to a British concern will give it a significance it has not had before. Capital will he discouraged from forming new companies or coming to the rescue of old ones. The willingness to make bank advances will al.=v> be affected. The Wellington company is heavily indebted to a bank, which must have lent the money on ihe security of the works as a going concern. The great companies, however, have plenty of capital already. The Government's" veto, imposed with, the best of intentions, may in tin* end have the very opposite effect to what is intended. The s.s. Rimu had a nasty ''dusting when crossing the Ilokianga bar last trip, writes our Ilokianga correspondent. The sea. outside was fairly calm, but three big fellows were encountered on the bar and one of them stove in the whaleback stern, which smashed the wooden framework covering the steering gear and very nearly jammed it. The j officers' cabins were flooded and water {found. its way down the hold. It played 'havoc with the deck cargo of benzine I and scattered it in all directions, some j even landing on the upper deck, and numbers of cases-were washed overboard. The Hokianga bar-can be very treacherous at times.

I "If you allow this case to stand down i for. a short time, my friend and I may |he able to arrive at a settlement."' said ! ' one counsel in a ease called this morning ! before Mr. F. K. Hunt. S.M. Tiie Magisl ; trate (with the greatest encourage. ment): -'Certainly, by all manner of j means go outside and try to settle it."* j Tn 1025 rates "levied in the borough of j Newmarket totalled 'fIS.OOI. or £140.*? j more than was the case in 1024. Tne ! Borough Council received a report last evening showing that only £2291 had not i been collected. The total receipts from: all sources were £23.3(58 4/. and the ex- ; ipenditure was £18.027 8/. so that there j 'was a credit balance oi £4440 10/. i A proposal tn erect a destructor for j the disposal of the garbage of the four marine boroughs of Devonport. Taka-; puna, Northcote and. Birkenhead lias been mooted for some months. Ihe matter came up at a meeting of the Takapuna Couticil last evening, when: members a.am expressed disatisfaction ■ concerning liie proposal to erect the destructor in Takapuna. Tiie engineer explained that the collection of garbage was under the control of tiie district health oriicer. and that tiie matter had already received full discussion. A con,ference of the engineers of tiie borousrhs concerned had decided that one destructor .for the four borough" would he the cheapest and most satisfactory solution of tiie problem. In deciding to deter the matter of the joint system, the council instructed their engineer to ascertain the estimated cost of a destructor to deal witli tiie requirements of Takapuna alone. I During next session of Parliament will j l*e a movement in the direction of getting Kapiti Island I between Wellington and Eoxtonl thrown open as a holiday resort. The island abounds with good camping spots, with ideal facilities for fishing and bathing. At present the island is a sanctuary for native iiora .and avifauna. At least a great portion of it is still owned by natives, and during tiie holiday months this area is largely visited by people from the mainland. There has been a growing feeling that Kapiti Island has not been a success as a haven for native bird life, and is felt that were it made available as a holiday resort, it would be largely visited by people from Wanganui. Ran«itikei, Manawatu and Wellington district. 'J he matter has been represented to ; several members of Parliament, *.\ith a [view to having the present restrictive j legislation removed. j Restrictions issued by the Health Department prohibit the erection of dwellings on properties on the lake watershed at Takapuna. In answer to an application that the' restrictions be removed, the Minister of Health has advised tlie Takapuna Borough Council that the Board of Health will shortly hobl an inquiry into the drainage and sewerage of the district. The Minister has also intimated that it is hoped to devise means of preserving the purity of the water of the lake and to remove i the present restrictions. ! ''There should be pome good sport ] out there, with the rats and the rabI bits." remarked a member of the Birj kenhead Borough Council last evening, j referring to statements by a deputation from '< .'lenfield as to..the overgrown state !of the Birkenhead Domain. One , speaker stated the place was choked with blackberry, and infested with rabbits and rats, which come out in hun- ; dreds. The council was interrogated if it would agree to sell the frontage of i the domain, and devote the proceeds to the improvement of the other portion. ' This, the deputation urged, could be done by Order-in-Council. Another preI posal was to let the area on a GlasI gow lease. A further alternative put ! forward was that the council should ' sell it, or exchange it, and get something | more suitable for a park. A speaker i complained that people threw- rubbish on the area, cut wood, and did everything except observe it as a park. The Mayor, ' Mr. E. G. Skeates. said the ' representations 'would receive careful i consideration by the Domain Board, i which would be only too pleased to help i the neighbourhood in any way that was ■ possible. A bullock which was being driven through the crowded Barnet High Street . ! bolted into the clothier's simp of Mr. .Harry Lewis, overturned the counter, 'throwing the goods in all directions and ,'i knocking over an oil stove. The stove . j burst into flames and threatened to [ cause a serious fire, but a policeman ! i rushed into the shop and threw the .'burning stove and some clothing which •had caught alight into the roadway. ■ | The bullock, with its tail alight, rait out .' of the shop and was caught by its i l 'drover. Meanwhile the fire brigade had . ' arrived, but their services were not required. No one was injured. I Pottery is once more coming into its : | own in England. In no fewer than four 1 galleries in or near Bond Street modern 1 j English potters are at the present ;! moment exhibiting the products of their I j taste and skill, and demonstrating the ' aesthetic possibilities of china clay, '.earthenware, and stoneware when the manipulation of these materials is left ;to the initiative of individual artists, ' . instead of being ruled by commercial ' i concerns,, 'as it was to a deplorable ' extent from the end of the eighteenth to .'the dawn of the twentieth century. j There could be no healthier sign of tiie 1 new spirit by which our leading ceramic ' | artists are guided than their efforts to [ I emulate the. exquisite refinement's, both in . form and colour, which mark the wares of the pre-Ming periods of t'hineso ' | pottery. And it is no exaggeration U> j say, comments an English paper, that the . j glazed earthenware "Soon"' pottery by 1 Mr. Reginald Wells, at tiie Fine Art ! Society's galleries, and Mr. W. Stake ! I Murray's stoneware pottery, may con- .'! fidently be placed in the collector's show , | cabinets beside the choice-st specimens of i the Sung and Tang periods. ; : Pillaging on the wharves has decreased ' in the last two or three years, according ' to the statements of several Auckland ■ shipping managers', but they challenge - tiie claim of the Harbour Board that '• the improvement is due to the presence ■; of more patrol men. "It is the outcome | of careful supervision by watchmen in the holds," said one; "and the assistance > i from the detective staff, which has been - very much appreciated." i Zane Grey writes to a local scenario I writer that lie has no influence in placI ing scenarios or stories and never reads ' any submitted, as he has been accused . of plagiarism because lie has attempted . to help some struggling writer. The ; report that a Lasky, man is travelling : with him is untrue. He is employing - one of the official photographers of' the - Government. ! A beach carnival has been arranged io ■ take place at Green Bay. on the Manukau Harbour, to-morrow, for raising funds I; for improvements to tiie bench. The i AvombiV Municipal Band will play '■ ; throughout the day. and numerous ot'ier II attractions have been arranged. Special • bus services have been arranged from • Avondale. Xew Lynn and the City, particulars of which are advertised."