AMERICAN MEAT TRUST.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLV, Issue 63, 15 March 1911, Page 2

AMERICAN MEAT TRUST.

POSITION OF AUSTRALIAN '

TRADE.

HOW "MONEY TALKS."

(Sydney Morning H«rald. The Beef Trust is working at both, ends. It is trying to "corner the market" in Australia and it is operating in the United States against the importation of Australian, meat. Its operations in America have so 'far been quite successful—Australian meat cannot get in; '-but whether the trust will get a-foothold here remains to be seen. "Money-talks, however," 'said a Sydney exporter, whose .efforts.'to send 50,000 carcases of mutton to America have just been thwarted through the machinations of trust, "and if money "call do it the'-trust' will corner 'the market here. It will, not be th£ trust, of course— oh, no. The trust is too clever for that. Recently the name of a big firm of carcase butchers has been mentioned as a possible agent of the trust. This* firm has acquired a large station property of late. Personally,' I don't think it has anything to do with the trust, and I only mention the matter to show how suspicious everybody is getting." "A friend of mine in America writes to me stating that the trust is trying to get freezing works in Queensland and Victoria, and, is also anxious to acquire properties. 'If they do," he goes on, 'they will ruin all small holders of 10,000 sheep and under.' The Swifts and the Armor Company own from 15,000,000 to 19,000,000 sheep in the United States, and when they want to break the market they can do it, even at a loss of millions of dollars. , The Commonwealth Government must give them no consideration. If it does, the people will have to pay, as they do in America." "And he concludes with the significant sentence: 'The Beef Trust opposes every time the importation of Australian meat into the States.' " A GREAT MACHINE. Few people can realise the extent of the power the Beef Trust wields. Its ramifications are world-wide. Its money-power is enormous. Like the Standard Oil Trust, it is a great machine. It not only controls the market; it controls the Legislature also. Some time ago—in April last year •—i-a quantity of Australian meat was imported into New York. The trust was taken unawares ; it knew nothing of the move; the meat slipped in. But no more has got in. At the time of the importation all classes of meat were extraordinarly dear in the States. The opening was there for Australian meat. It was the first time that such a thing had happened, and the market men— the ' 'middlemen— w ere frank in their statements that importation was the only solution of the problem. '.:- Compare the prices to the retailer at that time: —Local products: Beef, 12£ cents per lb; mutton, 16 cents; lamb, 18 cents. Australian meats: Beef, 10 5-8 cents; mutton, 10 cents; lamb, 12 \ cents. A duty of \\ cent per lb had to be paid on the imported mj^at, and freight charges had also to be borne; but, notwithstanding these things, the Australian meat was able to undersell the home article. Moreover, it was spoken of by the newspapers as of superior quality. One of the New York newspapers

published the following :-r-< 'Shortly after the agitation started over the high prices of meats in this country an.; unobtrusive and industrious person named Benjamin arrived in this city from London, and paid quiet visits to the principal New York market men. He is an agent for B^rgl, Ltd., of England and New Sotith Wales, and it wasn't long before he had unfolded a scheme to the local butchers which, they eagerly acbepted." By his efforts thousands of j beeves, lambs, and sheep were started from. the. grazing tracks in New 'South .Wales for America to; be shipped by way of Liverpool; and he is # said to have landed contracts which the Australian cattlemen have not yet started to fill." .

WHAT THE TRUST DID.

But Mr Benjamin and the butchers counted without the i Beef Tru&t. The trust put on its fighting "armor," and did some "swift" work.; It pointed out to Secretary Wilson, of the Department of Agrijcutfcxfr.e, that the importation of this k rwhiph provides that, all meat shipped into the United States shall be accompanied by a veterinarian's certificate, countersigned' by the United States Consul, stating that it has heei subjected to an ante-mortem and' postmortem examination prior to shipffieiit. With stich a certificate meat may be allowed to enter American ports, but the Department of Agriculture will not permit it -to enter any Government inspected houses, on the ground that it has not been inspected by' United States officials prior to and after slaughtering. And about v four-fifths of'the meat houses '■• are . Government inspected, thoiighj to judge by the continual complaints against the quality of the meat, the Government inspection of meat in American would seem to be no more, reliable than was its inspection of sttgar-weighing at the sugar refineries. The remaining fifth comprises non-killing houses.

Secretary Wilson is a farmer, and is naturally opposed to the importation of meat. Sir George Reid, High Commissioner in London, Mr Coghlan, Agent-General for New South Wales, Mr W. Bennett, BritisE Consul in New York, and Mr A. Benjamin, the Australian agent in iNew York, have all been at work ;ih the matter, and a great deal of correspondence has passed between them, but up to the present the Beef Trust has won the day. In Mr Benjamin's opinion, Australia should have an agent at Washington, as the Canadian Government; has.

'' A gentlemman, who has recently returned from America, and who made a study of the subject, says: "The Beef Trust has large interests in Argentina, and it is possible that with their control of millions of pounds, they may attempt to dominate the grazing industry in Australia, which could be done very easily ' if the Australian Government do not take steps to prevent it. With control of Australia, the trust would dominate the meat market of the world, and manipulate the purchasing and selling price of meat. All Government officials are the servants of these trusts, but surely this cannot always continue.

THE WHIP HAND

"In the meantime, however; it would appear to be a business-like policy on tho part of the Australian Government to open negotiations with the Government of the United States, in order to effect such an adjustment that the interests of Australian meat exporters will be properly conserved. The restriction. ttiat meat must be examined before and after slaughtering is merely technical, and in the interests of the Beef Trust. This and similar jokes are always inserted in American laws by cunning trust attorneys, who are adepts in the art. The certified approval of Australian meat by the Australian Government ought to be a sufficient guarantee to the American people that the meat has been examined by expert veterinaries, and found free from disease.

"The exports of the United States to Australia amount to about £5,----000,000 a year, and America imports from Australia goods to the value of £2,000,000. Therefore, Australia holds the whip hand, and may safely demand that the absurd restrictions against meat be removed, or the Commonwealth will retaliate by placing a restrictive duty on all American goods."

The members of the "Droppers' Union"—the law-breakers whose mission is to "drop" liquor about Masterton at pre-arranged places—are face to face with trouble (saysl the Wairarapa Daily Times). It is stated' that a "Lifters' Union" hae been formed in Masterton, whose object it is to discover where the "droppers" have deposited liquor, and1 then "lift" it without first receiving permission from the aforesaid "droppers." Recently, it is stated, the "lifters" lifted no less than forty-two bottles of beer.