THE MEAT MARKET.

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 March 1911, Page 6

THE MEAT MARKET.

LATEST CABLES

AUSTRALIAN MUTTON FOR SWITZERLAND. THE FIRST "CONSIGNMENT. [by telegraph—per press association.] SYDNEY, March, 21. The first parcel of frozen mutton to go from Australia- to Switzerland is now being shipped by the steamer ‘‘Essex.” The Swiss authorities have given permission for importation. The shipment consists of five hundred specially selected carcases and is being sent via London and Antwerp by the Colonial Meat Export Company. Referring to the first shipment of Autsralian meat to Switzerland, Mr. Hughes, Managing Director of the Colonial Meat Export Company, urged the importance of the opening up of new markets. A single market might easily be over supplied thereby making it easy to manipulate prices below a profitable shipping level. Referring to the present low prices of meat ,in London, he suggested that they were possibly due to the Home distributers anticipating early large supplies of Australian meat, as tho result of the good season, but it was more likely that the low prices resulted from the methods adopted by the Americans, who had captured seventy per cent, of the Argentine trade. Their motto was:—‘‘First spoil the market at the consuming centres, and the consumer and producer will be at your mercy.” AN INVADER. TRUST ARRIVED IN SYDNEY. THE PERIL EXPLAINED. Before I was four hours in Sydney 1 saw the footprints of one of the greatest. and most unpopular of American Trusts. It has come to stay. This alarming statement was made to a Sydney •’“&un” reporter by Mr. Charles Edward Russell, the American socialist ■writer, who is on a short visit to Sydney. He issues a warning to Australia to bring all sources of necessary supply ilnder State Control. Otherwise —tue trusts cannot lie kept out. : “Will Australia go through all the corruption of the btatcsP” Mr. Russell was asked. ’ .

“Sure, unless you .realise what is ahead', it will never be as bad in Australia and N6w Zealand as it has been for us, because you have smaller courii vnes. They are more compact, and signs will be visible more quickly. You are also accustomed to deal with these problems, and i think you are more alert. There are signs already which to an American are very significant. in rsew Zealand the banks are extending their power. They are beginning to own property. The same causes are at work here fundamentally as were at work with us. Unification and consolidation are going on all over the world, it is an inevitable development, for so much is gained in the way of economy and efficiency. An irresistible force is generated by the consolidation of operations. , , . “Head off New Zealand alone for a moment. There we have national ownership of railways, telephones, telegraphs and so on. There is no chance for the prices to work there, but the wall has been left down when you pass to other industries .In that direction the process is going on. It is just a question whether Australia and New Zealand will awake and see the process in tune to head it off in the same way as they have done in those directions i have indicated, or whether they will let it go. on, to reach its culmination in the gigantic central financial interest that dominates all the lines of business left open to it, and becomes so powerful that it dominates the Government. “It is a curious fact,’ ’continued Mr. ■ .Russell, “that before i was four hours in Sydney’ on nfy present visit 1 saw a significant sign. i landed at 11 o’clock in the morning, and befire 3 in the afternoon 1 saw the footprints of one of the greatest" and most unpopular of American trusts. It was not here when 1 visited Australia five years ago. Now it has evidently planted both feet, it is here to stay. 1 have read in the Australian papers about your concern in regard to the great American fleet irust. oo long as slaughtering is in private hands there is no way by which you can prevent the coining of the fjeef Trust, or if you can devise some way, you will teach economists and sociologists a very memorable lesson, if the ovate does tne slaughtering then tiio Beef Trust has no show. “And has the Beef Trust come to Australia P Is that the trust whose arrival you have noticed P” “No,” replied Mr. ivussell, “I don t want to name the trust I speak of. it is quite a different one, but you will hear of it. I am very much surprised to set it here, .book at trance,” said Mr. Russell, “and you will see the operations of the American Beef Trust which has alarriied Australia of late. Two years ago the Trust’s representative managed to get the i’ rencii Government to allow private slaughtering at Havre. That was the nose of the camel under the tent. They are there now ; yes, there they go, all over Trance, i think they intend to control the meat trade of the world. They are in the Argentine and they control the Argentine situation.” . “Have you seen any signs of the Beef Trust hereP” ... “(July that 1 read of the fear ol it in the Australian papers.” “ i think the people of Australia and New Zealand have an inadequate conception of the enormous power and hidden strength of these institutions. They do not suspect how many ramifications these trusts have. Their power is social, political, business, industrial. iou never can see it at work, and it is exerting its influence all the time in hundreds of hidden ways. Many New Zealanders talked to me as it they thought the only power of the trust was exacted through corruption, such as the purchase of legislators and government influence. They do very little out-and-out corruption. They get what they want in other ways—but they get it. “So long as you have private ownership of necessary supplies you will have this process of consolidation, producing an enormous aggregate wealth, against which governments cannot possibly stand. Both Australia and New Zealand ought to proceed towards nationalislation with all possible speed. That is their only safeguard. We of the radical element,’ ’concluded Mr. Russell, “use Australia and New Zealand as examples of what can be done in the way of nationalisation. An enormous amount of attention has been drawn to Australia and New Zealand as the outposts of governmental progress. If these two countries ,thon, would proceed to nationalise other industries, they would be a splendid example to all the world. If they do not take steps immediately they are in the same danger as we were in America.