BEEF PROBLEM

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 34, 9 August 1934, Page 11

BEEF PROBLEM

!A; FAEMEES' POLICY

BEAVERBROOK'S CAMPAIGN

I (From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, June 28. Lord Beaverbrook has a farmers' policy which is different from1 that of the National Government. He spends much of his time' advocating this policy. He has started "The Farmers' Weekly," a 2d-journal of ' sixpenny dimensions. Hc'addiessed a crowded meeting of farmers,, poultry farmers, and townspeople at Chelmsford, and told them the policy he proposed. He advocated, a tariff of 33 1-3 per cent, on the British market value of foreign eggs and 2d a pound on foreign meat to be levied when the Argentine and Danish pacts lapse in 1936; and until that time a deficiency payment equal to the advantage which egg and beef producers would reap under a tariff. "What is good for the manufacturer is tariffs," said Lord „ Beaverbrpok. "Protection against the foreigner.! If protection against the foreigner is good for ,the manufacturer it is also good for the farmer. That is why I like the" song 'What is Good for the Goose is Good for the Gander.' • "The iron and steel industry gets a protection of 33 1-3 per. cent, on all foreign imports of iron and .steel! As a result iron and steel prices have gone up 8 per cent. What about agriculture? "Most of tire foreign produce comes in duty free. And, as a result, agricultural prices are down l>y just the same sum that iron, and' steel""'prices havo gone up. ■ - "Briefly stated, half the beef that we consume we produce for ourselves. The other lialf of all the beef .we"' eat wo bring in from, the Argentine. . ■ "You are told from time to 'time,.that beef imports from the Dominions- interfere with ,our domestic market. Don't you believe it." THE FIRM Or VESTEY. Later, Lord Beaverbrook asserted:— "On every .carcass of beef: brought into this country from the •Argentine the firm of Vestey makes" a"profit of £7. "Arc there some beef .producers present? If the beef producer* here by labouring for months could-make _» profit of £7 a cascass!. "The firm of Vestey makos a profit of £7 a carcass merely by picking up the carcass in the Argentine aud: bringing it across the Atlantic to the British, market. "Lord Vestey and I aro both members of the House of Lords. lam prepared to go down to the House 'of Lords, as I have done before, and state that Vestey's are making a profit of £7 a carcass. "His Lordship and I sit on the same side of tho House, cheek by jowl, shoulder to shoulder you" might say. . "If he will go with me in the Houso of Lords I will debate it with him, taking full responsibility for the statement that he makes £7 a carcass profit. "I do not criticise Lord Vestey for the profit he makes; I wish some, of our beef producers in Britain could make £7 a carcass. He is a very able business man. He lias built up immense enterprises in Britain. I admire "liim for \i. '*f HOME AND EMPIRE FIRST,! "But I would like him, through=his innumerable butchers' shops, to sell homo-killed beef instead of Argentine. "I would like him with his splendid ships and his chilling apparatus ' to carry beef from Empire countries instead, of from the foreigner. "But what I cannot stomach is the fact that twieo as much beef as Lord Vestey brings in is brought to ourmarket by Americans, and. they make £7 a carcass, too. "More than half the Argentine beef ■\vo consume is brought by > American firms —Swift, Armour and Morris, and Wilson. Those are the happy firms. J'Lord Beaverbrook went on to_ advocate a deficiency payment sufficient'to compensate for the duty which the Government is at present incapable-of imposing. "Doesn't that sound common-sense?" he said. "Do you want to preserve the beef-raising industry of Great Britain? If so, you have got to support this policy. There is no- alternative. Support it or tho beef producer perishes."