MEAT WORKS SALE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 8 April 1925, Page 5

MEAT WORKS SALE.

COMMISSION OF INQUIRY. (BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION J WELLINGTON, April 7. The Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the administration of the Government m connection with meat export control, .and particularly tiie charges made in tiie House of Representatives by Mr \\ . D. Lysnar, member for Gisborne, against tne Minister for Agriculture (the Hon. W. Nosworthy) and the Meat Export Control Board in connection witn 'the . sale, of certain freezing, works and other property of the Poverty Bay Farmers’ Meat Co., Ltd., to Yestey Bros., Ltd., continued its sitting at Wellington today. Under further cross-examination, Mr Alfred Jolly, 'general manager ol the National Bank, denied that the bank refused to take the Admiral Codrington as security because the bank was acting for the Shaw, Savill Co. The bank never intended to have anything to do with the Admiral Codrmgton. Mr Lysnar told him he said that he had proposed to .Mr Findlay, of ) the Shaw, Savill Co., that Shaw, S’rtvih should take over the Admiral Codrington for £160,000 to £170,000. If this was done he would not support the Shipping Bill; if not the Bill would go through with the support of the Liberal and Labour parties, and the ship would be sold to the Shipping Board for £150,000. ■ ■ ' ■* Mr Jolly added: .“I told him he was mad to make such a proposal.” He had had this conversation in mind ever since, but never discussed it with Mr Findlav except for checking. Mr Lysnar said this conversation had only been brought up to injure him politically and personally. The chairman: Do you suggest any doubt as to when this was entered in Mr Joll’s diary? Mr Lysnar : I certainly suggest it. James Findlay, New Zealand representative of the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company, detailed a conversation which had taken place with Mr Lysnar on the lines already outlined in other evidence.

Mr Lysnar said at one stage that Sir John Findlay must have wanted to compromise him. Mr M. Myers, K.C., said that was a fantastic suggestion. David Jones, chairman of the Meat Board, said the board had never considered that it. had authority to try to charter vessels trading from New Zealand.. The board had power .to make a contract for the whole of its meat from New Zealand as agents for all exporters, but were never authorised to force exporters to ship on any particular steamer or steamers. The Meat Board discussed the danger of the sale of New Zealand meat works to big capitalised overseas interests. A number of meat works were at that time (19231 in a bad way, and the board considered it a danger that large capitalised overseas interests were purchasing a number ol these works at low Prices, thus securing a'footing, and probably control, in New Zealand nt a verv lon - price. Seeing, however, that small killing was done at the Gisborne works and the high freighting ’•n.t.e° in the Gisborne district, the board felt that it could.offer no reasonable objection to the sale to Vestey’s if Vestey’s were,' as stated, to he relieved of existing works. The board thought if- better in the interests of producers, for Vestey’s to purchase the Poverty Bay works.

The * sitting was adjourned till tomorrow.