Waitaki meat firm carries on as it awaits ruling

Press, 15 December 1979, Page 14

Waitaki meat firm carries on as it awaits ruling

Technically, the Meat Board still has control of about S5O million worth of meat owned by Waitaki N.Z. Refrigerating, Ltd, and will retain that control at least until a court ruling is made in Wellington.

The general manager ol the company (Mr J. Neilson) said that the firm’s statement objecting to the board’s action had been filed with the court. “But these things take time,” he said, “and we have been going about our business as usual.”

The Meat Board's action in taking over control of Waitaki’s entire existing stock of meat came after the firm tried to ship meat to Britain and Europe on the non-conference A.B.C. Line. The board’s action,

taken under the terms of the Meat Export Control Act, 1922, made headlines throughout the world. The international trade weekly. “Freight News,” published in Britain, ran a frontpage story entitled: “Outdated legislation protects conference monopoly; N.Z. Heat Board blacks A.B.C. Line.”

Other shippers were varned by the board at .he time that their cargoes, too, if given to the A.B.C. Line, would be confiscated. The board's chairman (Mr Charles Hilgendorf) said that there was “no need at present to use A.B.C. services.”

The action drew protests from farmers and others as A.B.C. had agreed to ship at rates lower than those charged by the Conference lines.

A . B . C. ' s managing director (Mr T. V. Rosenfeld) also reacted strongly, saying. “The conference is acting purely out of panic. Just because they have this agreement with the Meat Board ba.ed on an outdated 57-year-old law, they are trying ro stop us from offering shippers a better and cheaper service.” The rate offered by A.8.C.. said Mr Neilson, would save about '6oc a carcase on meat shipped to Britain and. Europe.