MEAT AND THE MARKETS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLV, Issue 62, 14 March 1911, Page 3

MEAT AND THE MARKETS.

——————^fr~— REMARKS BY MINISTER FOR

AGRICULTURE

CHRISTOHURCH.. March 10

Interviewed in regard to the American Beef Trust, the Hon. T. Mackenzie, Minister for Agriculture, said that the position was being carefully watched. There was a grave danger that the operations of the Trust might affect the handling and distribution of New Zealand meat in London. It was reported that £18,000,000 worth of debentures had been subscribed amongst half a dozen men supposed to be engineering the Trust. There was no direct information yet as to the operations of the Trust in New Zealand. The Minister said that he regretted the scheme he had formulated for the control of the handling and distribution of New Zealand meat while he wsas in Englund had not beer, adopted, as by now it would bo too well established to be j affected by any combination. He had I found a. great difficulty in obtaining satisfactory terms for the producers in New Zealand—even the process of selling on the market or ex ship c.i.f. This arose through claims for meat not up to quality or damaged in transit. The trouble was to find out when meat was sold on the market and' the exact amount realised for its sale. He suggested thot New Zealand producers' interests coultl b© safeguarded by establishing a markr+, near Smithfield, where tho whole <;.? the New Zealand output for the United Kingdom could be controlled. After i a good deal of work, he had got an offer of <stn area of over half a,n acre, fifty yards- from Smithfield, and connected by rail with the London docks, where the vessels were discharged. He had asked tho New Zealand Government to guarantee a loan sufficient to finance the undertaking, and also to guarantee that the meat should be put through this channel. With the exception of the late Sir John McKemzie, none of the public men approached had seriously considered the proposal He had also suggested an amalgamation with Swift and1 CoJ, so that their chilled beef could be sold with New Zealand mutton and lamb, and that might have been accomplished at the timov He could not Bay if it were now too late to put the scheme in operation, as he was out of touch with the matter.