PLEA FOR CO-OPERATION

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29776, 20 March 1962, Page 17

PLEA FOR CO-OPERATION

The lack of co-operation in international affairs has brought the world to the brink of self destruction. By the same token, the lack of co-operation among meat retailers can eventually bring about the same result. In the opinion of the writer there is only one way to answer the threat of a large combine and that is to combine against it. The only way this can be done is by means of the co-operative. Failure to do this can result in most of the privileges that the retail meat trade has enjoyed during the last 50 years being slowly, but nevertheless surely, extinguished.

Take die present situation in connexion with the attempts being made to eliminate the independent killing point by closing down various abattoirs throughout New Zealand and handing over the abattoir authority to any export slaughterhouse that may be in the district.

After an intensive investigation lasting more than six months, and hearing evidence from all interested parties for four months, the Meat Inquiry Commission prepared a report which was 100 per cent, in favour of the continuation of the present abattoir system in this country.

In implementing this report, the Agriculture Department, no doubt under direction from the Minister of Agriculture, has attempted to take a neutral attitude by advising various city, county and borough councils that they can either modernise their resoective abattoirs or delegate their abattoirs authorities.

But, in the same breath, the department has made it quite clear that, while finance may be available for modernisation the department would not, generally speaking, favour recommending finance for the building of a new abattoir.

The local authorities, with never-ending demands for more and more finance for local works, naturally tend to take the easy way out. They favour closing an abattoir and handing over the abattoir authority to any export slaughterhouse prepared to accept it. The result of such an action is a complete reversal of the spirit and intention of the Meat Inquiry Commission’s report.

Apparently New Zealand has plenty of money to spend on roads to ride on and bridges to cross but insufficient funds to protect independent killing points and thereby safeguard the interests of both the pro-

ducer and consumer of meat.

The danger of this situation is now being realised by Federated Farmers throughout the country. The recent resolution by the Rotorua-Taupo branch that a central abattoir for the Bay of Plenty, if built, should be administered by the local authorities and not by an export slaughterhouse is a case in point.

A recent public statement by a spokesman for the North and South Islands Freezing Companies’ Associations, that the best thing the local authorities could do was to close down their abattoirs and hand over the killing to the freezing companies, would be very nice indeed for the freezing companies. But if that is

the best solution why did the Meat Inquiry Commission recommend otherwise? A further statement by the same gentleman that the modernisation of the abattoir system in New Zealand would cost millions of- pounds is just too absurd to require any further comment.

To sum up: we have a Meat Inquiry Commission, recommended by the National Party, appointed by the Labour Party, bringing down a report which is accepted completely and entirely by the New Zealand Meat Retailers’ Federation, the New Zealand By-pro-ducts Companies* Associa-

tion, Federated Fanners and, in fact, all interested parties except the North and South Islands Freezing Companies* Associations. But the freezing companies still win as apparently they have the necessary finance but New Zealand has not. Fortunately, the local authorities in the main centres are very much alive to the dangers of the situation, and there can be little doubt that -in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin the abattoirs will remain and will be modernised as required. But in the Bay of Plenty, Manawatu, Nelson, Southland, and various country districts the danger of monopoly is very evident. Consent Decree Some 40 years ago, the United States Government saw the danger of allowing the big meat packers to enter the retail trade and the result was the Consent Decree, which none of the big packers has since dared to break.

In New Zealand even the retail butchers do not object to retail competition from the freezing companies. However, if they lose their independent killing points and full value for their by-products they may soon be acting as shop managers instead of shop owners, and both the producer and consumer of meat will suffer.

May all those interested in an independent meat supply, with free and open competition for all, unite before it is too late.

The advantages of meat retailers ee operating to ensure the continuation of the present abattoir system tn New Zealand are discussed by the editor of the “Meat Trade Quarterly Bulletin." Mr J. H. Sproston. in this article.