CORRESPONDENCE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXI, Issue LXXI, 7 June 1916, Page 4

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE MEAT TRADE

(To the Editor.) Sir,—ln your issue of Friday a column and a half is devoted to an interview oetweea your reporter and ivir Hawken on the above trade. Now sir, I am not going to follow Mr Hawken in all he says, neither am I interested m his complaint of the British salesmen shipowners or their agents. What interests me just now is why Mr : Hawken did not tell your readers that . Mr Massey and the Commission he set tip to nx the price of meat in March, if 15, gave to the freezing companies a bonus of 40s on all meat at that ; time in their chambers, and let me put Mr Hawken right as to price he quotes, yi 7j ._44rl for beef. This is above what is paid, and Mr Hawken says that "under the old arrangement (io cost from lid to l^d for freight, freezing, and charges, etc., until it was sold." There is no man, not even the Premier, could tell this, as it depends a great deal oa the time it leaves Blackfriars stores and reaches hmitnheld market. Again, he says ! th?| ' <t}ie Present position is galling; half his apparent profits is' being deducted," etc. Sir...if Mr Hawken had said half the market value of his product is taken by Mr Massev and his Commission of men, I could quTTe agree with a good deal of Mr Hawken's remarks. He might have pointed out also, further, the injustice suffered at this end, and which I will enumerate by way of questions. (1) Why does Mr Massey keep the farmer out of his money sometimes five months? (2) Why does he not pay off the hcoks? (3) Why does he not.give a store warrant so that the farmer could receive his cash on the weights at any bank? (4) Why should the farmer pay exchange and also cost of bills of lading; and finally may I ask you, sir, why Mr Massey does not fix half values on all our exports. v i z ._^o^ butter, and cheese ?' Mr Massey should fix the price and also the price of store cattle, and this would be a "square deal" to all. I may also point out to Mr Hawken that it was the Massey Government that save the auctioneers power to charge interest from date of purchase on all stock not pafd for withm 14 days, and yet Mr Massey keeps the farmer from three to five months without payment for his beef, and at the end of that time it is not; unusual for some quarters to show bone taint. This is another loss that the farmer pays for.

BOMTNTON.