MEAT BOARD

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 182, 29 April 1922, Page 8

MEAT BOARD

ANOTHER MEETING IN WELLINGTON

CONCESSIONS THAT HAVE BEEN SECURED

MR. MASSEY’S COMMENT

The members of the Meat Producers’ Board met again-in Wellington yesterday. They discussed various matters during the day, and will meet again this morning. The vice-chair-man of the board (Mr. Jessep), who is about, to proceed to London on the board’s business, is attending tho meeting, which will be the last before his departure. Since their appointment tho members of the board have given a lot of time to their task, and have done very little talking about it. They did not expect to be able to make rapid pro, gress, and it appears that ( tliey arc disposed still to postpone some, decisions until their London agent has been selected. The board’s biggest achievement so far has been the arranging of reductions in freights and charges. Tho chairman (Mr. D. Jones, M.P.) had no statement to make last night concerning the business of the present meeting. The. Prime Minister said yesterday that the board had already accomplished particularly good work on behalf of the producers. He quoted the fallowing list of concessions for which the board, ho said, had been primarily or mainlv responsible:— As from January 16, freight on wool and sheepskins reduced by a farthing per lb. April 3, shipping companies made a reduction of 225. 6d. per ton in the freight to the United Kingdom on tallow and pelts. Anril 19, freezing companies agreed to the reduction of a farthing per lb. in charges for slaughtering, freezing, and storing beef. As from May 15 shipping companies made a reduction of -}d. per lb. _ in freight on beef to the United Kingdom. New Zealand railways made a reduction of 25 per cent, in charge for tho' carriage of beef far export and live fat cattle for' slaughter for export. Port of London Authority made a reduction of 3s. sd. per ton in handling charges, and 3s. per ton in rent, after 28 days. These concessions, in the aggregate represented a considerable sum of money, added the Prime Minister. The formation and work of . the board has not only been effective in reducing the cost of' production, but according to English authorities had had the effect of bringing other large centres of population into competition with London, and so providing a wider and more reliable market, as well as increasing the price of lamb and mutton, and even of beef to a certain extent, though the price of beef was still very far from being remunerative. It appears that the agitation which arose in Britain as the result of the New Zealand meat pool movement has. directed attention to aspects of the trade that hitherto escaped notice. The London “Statist,” in referring editorially to the meat import trade of Britain, says: “We hope to deal very shortly with the question of the high cost of distribution of any given commodity after it has arrived in this country. Messrs. Weddell say hardly anything about it in their report, and very few importers of commodities feel themselves compelled to make more than a passing comment on the subject. It is, however, a most important question, as we shall endeavour to show when opportunity offers. It is one of the causes militating against the. reduction in the cost of living. It is of little use to the consumer, who ultimately .pays all and every charge incidental to the cost of production. and distribution of any article, to tell him that the particular commodity has been invoiced to and disposed of by the importer at approximately the cost which prevailed in the period that preceded the outbreak of the recent war. if lio has to pay a price more than twice that prevailing during the war period.”