THE MEAT TRUST.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 77, 13 March 1911, Page 11

THE MEAT TRUST.

— — t OBSERVATIONS BY MINISTER* OF COMMERCE. | Interviewed by a "News’’ repor-| ter. the Hon. Thos. Mackenzie i briefly discussed the beef trust, remarking that the Government had its eye on every move in the game. It was reported that the Trust had subscribed £18,000.000 more debentures amongst the half-dozen men forming the Trust. The Minister expressed regret that the scheme he advocated in the Home Country some years ago for the control of the New Zealand output, had not been adopted. The quesl tion of distribution at the other end was a very important one. and had his scheme been adopted no American Trust could have upset things I now. At that time there was great difficulty in obtaining satisfactory terms for producers, either by selling on the market or selling ex ship , c.i.f. The difficulty arose through claims for “not up to quality and damage,” and also the trouble in finding out what meat was sold on the market, and the exact amount realised by its sale. The producers’ I interested would have been absoi lutely safe-guarded if a market had been established near Smithfield, from which the whole of the New Zealand output could have been controlled. “About half an acre of land within 50 yards of Smithfield, connected by rail with the London Dock, where the vessels discharged,

was offered. At that time he asked the Government to guarantee a loan sufficient to finance the undertaking, and also that New Zealand meat should be put through that channel. He mentioned the scheme to several leading men. but with the exception of the late Sir John McKenzie, none of them seriously considered the plan. Mr. Mackenzie continued, that it would have suited at the time, but as he had not been at Home for many years, he could not venture an opinion as to its prospects of success if adopted now. A very great deal had been done since then to place New Zealand produce on a much more satisfactory footing, by those handling New Zealand meat. His only reason for referring to the scheme was that one of its cardinal! points was the controlling of the j entire output, which could by now I have so thoroughly established New' Zealand meat by the process of dis-1 tribution. that it could not havej been interfered with by the Meat | Trust. Indeed, at that time he had; discussed with Mr. Swift, of Swift • and Co., the propriety of uniting! his company’s chilled beef with New Zealand mutton and lamb, which at that time might have been well worked together through the same agencies.