THE MEAT TRUST.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16559, 25 May 1914, Page 5

THE MEAT TRUST.

WILL IT HARM THE FARMER? [From Our Correspondent.] TIM ARE’, May 23.

Mr John Talbot, in his presidential address to the provincial conference of the Farmers’ Union to-day, remarked that a big queston that farmers were thinking over v.as whether the operations of the American Meat Trust in the dominion would prejudice the farming community. The Trust had been operating for some time. Its operations had been confined to buying, and as it was in competition with other buyers the farmers certainly had not suffered. Would the Trust monopolise the freezing works and the shipping services? He thought they were a long way off anything of that kind. Probably the Trust would require watching, bnt there was no immediate danger. It was busy with distributing. It did not wish to discourage production, but rather to promote its development, and it would be a long time before the Trust could think of monopolising production. Indeed, it had by no means a monopoly of distributing. At present he was sure there was no particular need to fear danger from the Americans.