MEAT TRUSTS.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14975, 23 May 1914, Page 14

MEAT TRUSTS.

TO THE EDITOB. OF "THZ lEESS."

Sir, —Befora asking somo questions, j let mc supply Gome information. In September. 1912, I arrived at Toov.-oomha. in Queensland, at a time when a Meat Commission was" sitting. ; Numbers of graziers were in tovra to give- erider.ee, including several Zcalanders, and I had ample opportunities of obtaining information. One gentleman, a member of the Cominiseion, said: ''Beef Trust? on your Beef Trust. After Imvking them round for week.Sj I have just got £6 a head for bullocks worth 522 in Sydney. You can't beat that." It appeared that, on aceoimfc of ticks, all cattle., from Queensland had to spend a specified amount of time in a largo "buffer" area before entering Xcw South Wales. A drought ivae on, and the area was full. Further, regulations made it impossible- for him to slaughter and send tho meat. I made enquiries which confirmed his statements. A" week later 1 saw very ordinary bullocks fetching £1S to £20 in Sydney. A system under which he could have sold his. say, for i £12 would have benefited grower' and i consumer. But a Labour Government in New South Wales maintains the existing Trust m favour of New South Wales graziers, and no doubt secures i many crazing votes.

! \ou people in Canterbury may bo I surprised to learn that quite «, n,V O little Meat Trust has existed in \ew Zealand for years. In H*wke's Bay every spring it is announced that tho price of fats will be so much for lambs ewes, and wethers. A lamb 15 a i aniD ' It must bo good, it may be better or best,, tho price is the same. You 'cannot pit one company against another isot one buyer will give a penny more than another. Yon may live alongside a railway station or twenty miles away tho price on the farm is tho same. You never eeo a fair-sized mob of fat lambs at any ealeyards. You must tako that price or leave it. We are asked to believe; in effect, that each separate firm works 'out the prospective value- of lambs to seven places of decimals, and in each and every j-car their calculi agree to a penny. There is no combination, no combine, no Trust. And that is why farmers are at last building works of their own. \ I travelled from England last year with a gentleman whose card described him as a representative of Armour, of Chicago and London. My attitude was very much that of the QueensJander I have quoted. He told mo his mission ■was not to establish works, but to buy meat. I fancy Armour has some 600 retail shops in.England. Hβ is coming to New Zealand.

Out of a cloud of vague and,nebulous, but distinctly alarming, assertions I seem to acquired the following idea of what is supposed to bo impending:—Hutton to-day.is worth, say, 4d horc, and od in London. The Trust will reverse these prices. ' Naturally, we will all sell to the Trust. As "a result, existing works will closo down. The Trust price will then be 3d here and 6d in London.. So far, all is clear enough. But what I cannot, for the eoul- of mo, understand is what is to stop us from re-opening our present works, or building now ones if tho Trust has bought oxisting ones, and leaving the Trust high and dry. Take a con" crete case. Next epring tho Hawke's Bay Farmers' Freezing Works will bo ready to start. TJie Trust, say, offers shareholders 30s in tho £ for their shares, and 6d alb for lambs. What is to stop us from erecting another set of works and leaving them idle against contingencies?

I am only a farmer, unversed in tho mysteries of high finance, but I do wish that those who poso as authorities and •fcalv-o a sorious view," and "aro not blind to the situation" and all that kind .of thing, 'would descend from tho clouds of vague generalities and givo us some clear idea of what is troubling them, without taking shelter behind^ 4 'it would bo unwise at the present stago" or any such nonsense as that. If the Trust is a danger wo may bo snro that its organisers know enough to realise what they may -have to face without being made wiso by us.—Yours, etc H. B.