MEAT PRODUCERS' ASSOCIATION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1075, 14 March 1911, Page 8

MEAT PRODUCERS' ASSOCIATION.

SOME MORE DETAILS. Last week a conference of representatives of committees of meat producers was held in Wellington. Resolutions made by the conferencn. wers reported in The DoaiiMox, and the proceedings of tho deputation to the. Minister for Agriculture wore published in full. Mr. \V. D. Lysnar, who was one of the chief speakers at the meeting with tho Minister, has since returned to Gisbome, and in an interview with a "Herald" reporter, ho furnished some, new details of tho proposals outlined in Wellington. Mr Lysnar said at the deputation meeting that tho exnenses of tho Producers' Association should bo provided by a. stock tax, on sheep, cattle, and pigs. In Gisborno (according to the "Herald"), he said: "If the tax were limited to say ss. per 1000 sheon (and in the ratio of 5 sheep to one cattle beast), this would givo far moro revenue than would be required. Ha would suggest thnt that should ba the limit of taxation such a board could impose. The sheen tax of £1 per 1000 (abolished a year of so ago) prodnced over J?20,000; thus a tax of ss. would yield .£SOOO, without cattle and pigs. It would thus be seen that tho necessary tax would-be very small indeed." Later, Mr. Lysnar went on to say ho had noticed that a tax . on > exports of frozen produce had he'tn suggested. This, he thought, would be-'pn the wrong line, because in this'instance'-.the , farmers should bo tho controlling board. Whoever paid tho.tax should-elect tho board, and if they turned the position and placed tho tax on exports, it would- take tho power from tho farmers an3-«pl.ice tho election of the board in tho hands of his merchant and the freezing companies of the Dominion. This -.would not be desirable. It would defeat the object of the movement." As. to the uses of Home representation, he said:-"Ultimately-it was-hoped that a committeo.or representative would undertake '-what-similar-organisations had for some time been doing for Denmark, in fixing the 'value- of its butter, bacon, and cheese;' Canada, with its fruit and other produce exported to London; and the Argentine,meat exporters, also doing similar work. This, however, was ?. matter to bo decided after further consideration; It would also be tho sp'ecial duty of the representative to ascertain if there were better markets than Lundon that might bo onened up.» It.jWas, even considered possible that--an improved system of defrosting and' distribution might be taken in hand for tho benefit of producers." . ' ".' ' Of finances, he said: "In the..meantime it was desired that either'cash" or guarantees, equp.l in all to about ,£1750, should be found by the. producers of New Zealand in order that a representative could bo sent Homo immediately. . . . There we.s four representatives at tho conference who were prepared to provide un to .£IOO apiece towards the- required "amount, either in cash or guarantee. . . . With promises which I had obtained before leaving Gisborne,. I stated to the conference that' , Gisborne would shoulder. ,£400." This amount, he explained, would ptovide funds to have "a representative in London for twelve months, and pay for an assistant clerk for him, as we'll as allowing for cabling, which would be very necessary to keen the board in touch .with' what was doing. In addition, to that, they would require something for expenses at this end, but that would not be. very'/great. Ultimately, .when tho scheme had been placed on a sound footing, it was thought the board or association should pay its chairman about .£250 per annum. He would require an active clerk, in a central part of the Dominion, to disseminate information as it 'came to hand. It was not suggested that the t London 4 committee ,s.hou!d-. give its service's voluntarily, but that they should for every time they attended a meeting be allowed so many guineas It might become necessary to take steps, such as advertising New Zealand meat,"that would entail expense, and for that reason the board should have some latitude in its finance.