MEAT COMMISSION.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 12 June 1925, Page 9

MEAT COMMISSION.

AIR. LYSNAR’S ADDRESS

NO.T FINISHED YET

(by TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION

WELLINGTON, June 11. Commenting on the Hon. W. Noswortliy’s evidence, Mr. Lysnar, at the Meat Commission to-day, took exception to the Minister saying that in a certain event Mr. Lysnar would have come crawling to him for assistance. He had done nothing, he maintained, to justify the use of such language. Sir John Findlay: You called him a dummy, an Egyptian mummy. Mr. Lysnar; “I am justified-in doing so at this stage.” He added that the whole incident showed an unbalanced. mind handling this matter, that it was a prejudiced mind, a,mind not of a. judicial nature, an arbitrary mind. All the facts and all the argument ip, the world would not affect such a mind. He added that nobody could deny that the possession of so many meat works in the Dominion gave Vestjey. Brothers a very dangerous power*. They might use their power to damage the* producers and the Dominion as a whole, either hy closing their meat works here, by lowering the prices to producers, by the manipulation of their meat stores at Home, or of their multiple shops in the Old Country. It might, therefore, be very difficult to sheet home to \esteys any action to the prejudice of the producers and of this country as a whole. The finding of the commission, he submitted, should be that the Minister should have refused to allow Vestevs to acquire the company’s works. In this connection the commission had to take into consideration the fact that Armours were prepared to guarantee tire interest on the amount owing by the company to the hank, but the Minister had prevented that, and had also prevented Armours and other outside interests competing as buyers of the works, also that he had refused to agree- to the advances of money to other freezing works by overseas, concerns. The Minister and the Meat Board had acted without making full and proper inquiries into the matter-, with the result that the commission had now to do what should have been done before the sale. Referrino- to the non-inelusion of the Admiral Codrington in the 1924 shipping contract, Mr Lysnar complained of the injustice to the company by Mr Jolly, and' hy the Meat Board. The chairman asked when the wicked motion resulted in such an injustice first actuated Mr Jones (the chairman of the board). Mr Lysnar said that the first indication of- it was when Mr Jolly said to him: “You have tp put your cap on with the Meat Board cutting, the freight.” He went to Mr Jones and put it to him, hut Mr Jones denied

it. T3ie chairman: Then do you suggest that Mr Jones got the bank manager into this wicked frame of mind or that the bank manager got Mr Jones into it? Mr Lvsnar: It is difficult to pretend to say to. you which of them started it. *'

Mr Treadwell: Why ? Mr Lysnar : Because Mr Jolly wanted to show the boat was no profitable thing, and wanted to get rid of it, and Mr Jones was against a producers’ shipping line, and also wanted to get rid - of it. Mr Lysnar continued his lengthy address later. Mr. Hislop said that that was the third occasion that Mr. Lysnar had stated that Mr. Jqlly had threatened to make Mr. Lysnar bankrupt. Beading Mr. Jolly’s evidence on the point, he'’ claimed it was perfectly clear that the threat had nothing to do with the company’s affairs, hut referred to Mr. Lysnarhs private account, in regard to which Mr. Lysnar had promised to .sign securities some months before, but hail not signed them. The statement was a gross misrepresentation of the evidence, hut was an accordance, with Mr. Lysnar’s conduct throughout.

Mr. Johnston said that he placed the same interpretation as Mr. Lysnar did upon Mr. No®worthy’,s request to Mr. Jolly to show consideration to the guarantors and others “outside Mr. Lysnar and the king pins of the companies,” a« the words stood. That, he took, was their meaning. He did not hold, however, that Mr: Nhs.worthy excluded Mr. Lysnar alone. The chairman remarked that that interpretation was very much more benevolent than Mr. Lysnar’s, hut the matter had better stand over till Sir John Findlay, who was not then presnet, could make his application to- recall Mr. Nosworthy. Mr. Lysnar said that time would not allow him to go into all the points that pointed to an alleged eonsnys-fiy. The chairman: Don't talk about time. We want to know fully what is in your mind on the matter. You have to go on until you think you have finished, and you are not to say that we have stopped you. Mr. Lysnar: I am quite satisfied about that, and you will never hear that from me.

Mr. Hislop, quoting the. company's balance-sheet and the evidence of the various witnesses, categorically denied the allegations made by Mr. Lysnar (1) that the hank had permitted the company to go on from year to year spending large samas of money on improving its work right up to- the sale to Vesteys; (2) that the general manager of the bank had been consulted; as to. this expenditure on improvements; (3) that the bank had promised the company a reduction in the rate of interest on its overdraft.

The commission adjourned till tomorrow.