"Vesteyed" Interests

Maoriland Worker, Volume 12, Issue 303, 20 December 1922, Page 7

"Vesteyed" Interests

THE MEAT TRUST—A COLOSSAL COMBINE.

The Vesteys must be a happy family.'

Lord Vestey (until last June only plain Sir William Yestey, Bari.). Sir Eduiund Hoyle Vestey, ' Mr. Geor.ee Ellis Vestey,; Mr. Percy Charles Vcs-U-γ, and Mr. Samuel Vestey—all five of them have apparently but a single thought, and that MEAT. When we are quaking at the thought of the American Meat Trust, we might do well to remember the British Meat Trust controlled, by this happy family, says the British Labour Party's. "Labour Press Service." Four of them are directory of Vcstoy Bros., Ltd., and of ihc Union Cold Storage Company; one is a director of Eastmans, Ltd.; and one is head of the Blue* Star line. RICHER AND RICHER. These are big companies,, -wi'li an already extensive control over our Sunday dinners; but they are going to be bigger yet; and the Vestey Bros, are going to he 'richer yet (and perhaps have jnaore and hi gher placee in the peerage) before their labours are completed. ' To their control over the meat works of the Union Cold Storage. Company in Argentine. Brazil, Venezuela and China; over th-e meat v/orks of W. and R. Fletcher in Australia and New Zealand;.'over Nelson Bros, in New Zealand (this lot, it was cabled a fortnight 'ago, declared a .1.0 per cent, dividend.—Ed. M.W.); over W. Weil-Anglo-Frencn conflict \in the East. Nor is it the wealth of the dead Kapsburg Empire tbat *is bringing Quite surely "a • similar conflict in Central Europe. The mainspring of the forces' that .'are '"turning the erstwhile allies into bitter enemies is not the will-to wealth. "It Is the will to power. They are preparing - , in blind human, fashion, for a trial of-strength. Chanak I means that they are getting, roady for the next war. Chanak in'fact is just like Oczakoff.

Perhaps the resemblance may prove to he very close indeed. The vrav for which Pitt was preparing never came off. It was forestalled .bya-evolcitiou. .„.-: W. — ■"Tae Labour Monthly.'-

dell and Co. and the Colonial Consign- \ tnent and Distribution Co., large im- \ porters of Australasian produce; OT?r | the multiple shop, retail companies of I W. and It. Fletcher, the ■Argentina j Meat Co., and ■•Kswtman.s, Ltd.: over | the Blaekfriars Ligiiterage.;arid Gareagv- ; Co., the Pure Ice Co., and the inter- , national Export Co.; and over the- ' Blue Star line of mea,t ships, impelling also provisions, .poultry and eggs; from China, and before the.Avar from j Siberia also-—to all these the meat-j kings propose to add an alliance o£\ their interests with the great, British ■ and Argentine Meat Co. j HUGE CAPITAL. J What does this mean? The B. and 1 A. Meat Co. .already controls , a good! mass of. subsidiary, companies of, its j own, including the Rivciy Plato Fresh j Mea; Co., and has an authorised cap.- i ta-1 of £2,000,000. j The existing Vestey interests in fk-'r : turn -have a capital oi over £20,0C0,-j 000; and now ■-'tinder a provisional j agreement guaranteed by Lord Vestcy-.! and Sir Edmund Ve-jstey, Bart, plans! are laid for the fusion of the British j and Argentine with the VesteyX | The merger is going" to be a groat j step up for Vesteys, and means a important consolidation of their 2>osi- j tion in South America and, incident- } ally, upon your- table. - . - I The B. and A., shareholders, arc- aU- j vised to accept ihe provisional ! scheme. 'So wonder! " i DOLE FOR DIRECTORS For it appears that the B. aad A.! shares, which not so long ago vrevc. j sold at 16/9, and just before the an- j noiincernent of the fusion • scJaeraSj were fluctuating between 58/- Mil! 55/ V. are to be transferred at 65/- .v>or [ £1 share. I Vestey Bros, are evidently no'c afra-Ui | to pay handsomely for the privilege of j getting yet more meat into ibeu'j handsv -v. - • • - 'I •'.Meanwhile tire present tliroctors oi'i the B. and-A. will oath.c c.ola", | you think? Quite! - "j THEY ARE TO HAVE £30,000 | COMPENSATION BETWEEN THEM FOR THE-LOSS OF THEIR VA.UJABLE JOBS!Meanwhile, there is one source, and one only, -whence can come the funds | fer these interesting .ana exc-Uing en- i ierpriS€S by William a:ad lildinnnd Vestey. That source, of course, Iβ tis pockei o£ the xa«at -