Armour’s to Trade

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XII, Issue 96, 1 April 1922, Page 2

Armour’s to Trade

UNDER MEAT BOARD’S CONTROL.

PROTECTION OF PRODUCERS.

NO EXPORT LICENSE GIVEN.

Wellington, March 31.

The Meat Producers’ Export Board has had under consideration a communication from Armour and Co. of Australasia, Ltd., in which that firm requests permission to trade in New Zealand, also a further communication received through the Minister of Agriculture, in which Armour and Co. express their willingness, if allowed to trade, to place themselves in the hands of the board to do whatever tho board desires in the matter of handling pooling, shipping and marketing their meat.

The matter was very fully discussed ■from all points of view and members of the board afterwards had. an interview with the Minister of Agriculture and submitted to him their considered opinion that, having regard to the powers of control now available to tho board and the expressed willingness of Armour and Co. to act entirely in accordance with the desires of the board, the company should now be allowed to 'commence trading under conditions to be laid down by the bqard.

As a result Armour and Co. will be given permission, under the control of the board, to commence business, the conditions to be imposed being of such a nature as to ensure effective and thorough control in the full interests of the producers. The Minister of Agriculture stated that the Meat Producers’ Control Board had placed its considered views before him and discussed the matter from all point of view. Throughout tho long controversy regarding firm the Government had maintained a clear and definite attitude, having a full realisation of the necessity for effectively safeguarding the interests of the meat producers against the danger of a trust. Legislation was passed last session which has now brought about the establishment of a strong and capable Producers” Board and has created a new position, and seeing that the board was clearly of opinion that, with the powers now at its disposal, it could effectively safeguard the interests of the producers if Armour and Co. were allowed to commence business, and was of opinion that they should be allowed to do so, he felt that he would not be justified in adopting an attitude of direct opposition to the board. In this he was influenced by an undertaking given him by Armour and Co., in which they stated that they would be willing to place •themselves in the hands of the board and do whatever the board desired in the matter of handling, pooling, shipping and marketing their meat if they were allowed to trade. Under the arrangement which he had agreed upon with the board, no export license will be given, but any meat which Armour and Co. may now purchase will be exported under the control of the board.