COMMERCIAL.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17393, 2 March 1922, Page 8

COMMERCIAL.

MEAT POOL. STATEMENT BY MR MASSEY. MARKET PROSPECTS. A NOTE OF OPTIMISM. (IFKOUI. TO "THH yaKSS."i PALMERSTON NORTH,- March 1. The Prime Minister made some interesting references to market prospects, and the formation of the Meat Pool at the Marton Show Grounds today. He predicted a continued improvement in prices, and congratulated the farmers of the Dominion upon the constitution of the Meat Producers Board. The official opening of the show had been delayed until the Prime Minister arrived. Mr Massey was received with vigorous cheers by a large gathering. He said that he need not draw the attention of a farming community to the improvement that had taken place in the general outlook during recent weeks. He joined with them in rejoicing at that improvement, while he recognised that .there was still plenty of room for further improvement. The farmers had now a groat deal of responsibility and authority in their own hands. Tho Meat Producers' Board consisted of farmers, and it. was for that board now to deal with the situation in tho interests of the whole body of primary producers, and of tho Dominion. The farmers could have carried on despite the huge increase in freights and cost of production, if prices had remained at the war level, hut they had not been able to carry oh under the new conditions. When the prices fell, the Moat Pool scheme had been a necessary move for their protection. "Your duty as producers, and my duty as head of the Government, is to see that everything that is sent out of this country is the very best that can be. produced," said the Prime Minister, "li do not think that many of us will forget the lessors of the last few weeks —since about the second week in January. You remember the big conference—tho most representative gathering of farmers that I have ever Been —that met in Wellington to discuss the position, and think out for themselves whether it was possible to have a better system of marketing -our.products; and. t 0 # better return for tha producer.''The'; conference that the v producer should have a fair share returned to him of the price at which his meat was being sold. A very great - deal has been done since the meeting of that conference. / The Meat Producers' Board-has been elected, and I have ■ been glad to see that Mr T. A. Duncan has become a member of the board as the representative of Rangitikei." "A Hrst-clasß Board." "I> believe that we have a first-class . * Board, .composed of shrewd, hardheaded" men who have been through '• the mill, who bftte risen, most of them, - from the bottom rung of the ladder, "'and. have had experience during very , -' many years. They are willing now to " "give their time, skill, and experience ;•' - for. the' benefit of:. all the,.producers,. ' ■ * and of all'the people of this country, t-know that they will do good work. '"One more inember of the Board has '•'to, he elected as the representative of ' the stock and station companies. Then. : the Board will elect its chairman and ' get to work. One of its first important tasks will be to the veiy best men who can be found to represent the meat producers of the Dominion in 'London in connexion with the disposal of their produce; , . "Changes for the Better." .•• "I want you to look./back over, the : - changes that have taken place since that conference' in Wellington. Ydu have/had the freezing charges reduced in almost i every part of New Zealand: you- hay© had freights reduced—and 1 t hope they will be still further reduced 1 -'heroie - veiy. long; you have had sthe j- ,■ storage chargeß in London reduced; you haw- had an assurance from the Port v r<jf London Authority, which is the most jt body in that respect that I we 'ha/ve to deal with, that New Zealand ships will b© given every possible facility tor prompt discharge) and that ' ' s in all probability no further delays will '.taEe pjnoe. .The most important beneall has been the improvement in / tthe'.pripe of meat. Vs " ?^^ ( Y6tt'liave heard the statement that " formation of the meat pool had <t nothing to do with these changes for " * ,tfaef' better. A prominent Auckland s ; v Tbrismesa man came into my room yes- ■' -fcferday, and showed me a letter that liaa k received from his v father, -who is , m 'bhsinew in London. The father "" .-jvrote; .'There i* one thing that is going 1 ' to tknefit New Zealand to an enormohs . " ecctent.in this crity and this «oountry, ' t£&d that is the formation of the Meat y ' .:" Itris. the best thing that has happened., has starred up all the - people in,the trade, and they are will* K considerably higher price • ..far war produce to-day than a month f» ' I added that he would not the pooling scheme all the fyr the improvement in o<indi- " uons,' but he' believed that the pool great deal to do with it. The I' T .Sedqctionsin. charges,,and increases C . tin',pri^ t dnrmg recent weeks meruit an tLy ' of £2,600,000 to the annual iodine of 'the producers, and this extra was' going to benefit every sec- " iion * or' "the community. He'did not &f f ebo any 'jfeason 'why the improvement* ? n6ti;continue. ' a Socialistic Scheme." , l a l 'JWd ne not wit to form a ring," j/HSitiiued, the ,!Prime Minister. "\Ve jvant to exploit our customers: >V>' ,^e ; 'don't want to exploit anvone; and dptfjt intend to oe exploited our--(Applause.) I believe that jtjthe'Afcw boud is going to do a great rM'v for this country. We haye been fei'v'told that we are Socialists. Almost every paper in England has been comon New Zealand's Meat Pool, a. gpod deal of the comment is unifavowable. You know what happenS V vv®" net®, -and I ,have no doubt that the went on over f .Butrttjs ib : not. socialistic 'fijr" MlV s®? nle >,^ n d -it is to be controlled by producers, not by departmental offi-1 V" *t is a co-operative scheme, and j not intended "to be naythiug else." ' «blo to say that the slump rfM oehind*us-r-I .know:'better—but I tell I*believe things will be better iglj, „ ther future. You have had an jm--%gpwement"in the prioea of lamb, mut--butter, cheese, and wool. I had l of investigating the fc-Wpoi: ifctket ' for myielf when . I was in and I was satisfied, then that , h&ve an improvement in gv;The^people; at Sradford took • ihtb their confidehce and I could see stores ,were almost empty. // bij? Cumulation of wool of the Imperial Govern-to-dav. the wool remaining of the Imperial Qovernabont eQuaf to one Ausiur that wool- disappeared, rates between the difjEoot of next column.)

ferent countries become stabilised, the price of wool will increase. I am not prophesying a great boom in wool, but the price ot wool is going to increase, just as sure as we stand here to-day.-I pledge my reputation on it. It will be a very good thing for tliis_ conntry when wool gets back to something more like its value than the prices of to-day. If we all work and produce, I am quite ! certain the dump will not be long with us." , . ' • T.- •. , .. • • ;' _ Mr Massey congratulated the dairy farmers on the increase in the prices of their products. Ho said that the increase in the value of the butter and cheese exported from New Zealand had been larger than the decrease in the value the wool. ITKINa THE CHABQES. (raiss acsocutiok txleorik.) WELLENGION, March 1. The Minister of Agriculture states that one ofHlio first actions of the Meat Export Control Board will be to-make recommendationsj a3 to the levy on all meat exported from New Zealand. It -is - unlikely -that' the. maximum 'charges will be collected from the beginning, and the . Minister' expects the charges to be actually collected'during ther balance of the season will be at the. rate. of Id per carcase of mutton and lamb; and jd per quarter of beef, and-that they will become operative as from the date of the gazetting; of the Order-in- ' Council.'