IS IT HERE?

Northern Advocate, 21 October 1919, Page 3

IS IT HERE?

AMERICAN MEAT TRUST. PREMIER PROMISES REVELATIONS. A statement made by the LiberalLabour candidate for the Raglan .-eat was referred to in the House of Representatives by Mr Pcarce. The candidate, Mr Campbell Johnstone, was reported to have made the following statement: —"The trusts have been operating in New Zealand for some time, and have received assistance and accommodation from the bank that tho Government was interested in to the extent of £2,000,000. Yet the Government refused to believe it, and even tried to conceal the fact, and all the time one firm, that of Armour, was openly trading under its own name. They hud sold manures at exorbitant prices, and were ou the road to securing control of this country, as they had done in Argentina. And the worst feature of the position was that owing to the weak-kneed policy of the Government, no steps had been taken to stop it. The latter had, in fact assisted the trusts in their nefarious schemes." Mr Pearee asked whether it was not a fact that Parliament had last session passed an Act giving power to the Government to require a license from every firm exporting meat, and to refuse a license to any firm for good reason? Was it not a fact that a license had been refused to Armour and Co? He suggested that the statement made that the Government had assisted the trusts in their nefarious sclieraes was a "deliberate falsehood."

Mr Massey said that last session Parliament had agreed to legislation moved by tho Government, the purpose of which was to make it difficult or even impossible for the trust to carry on business in New Zealand. Every exporter of frozen meat had to obtain a license. The statement that the Bank of New Zealand hud advanced two millions to the trust bore its own condemnation. The statements of the candidate were a string of falsehoods. Ho could characterise them in no other way.

Mr Brown: They have been trading here for years under other names. Mr Massey: But wo have tried to make it imposible for them to trade. We have refused them a license. Mr Brown: I told you three years ago that they were trading here, and you denied it. Mr Massey: I did nothing of the sort, because I knew all about what was going on. I tell the House now that there will be revelations about the Meat Trust within the course of the next few weeks. Sir Joseph Ward deprecated tho introduction into the House of the statements made by candidates at the hustings. Hβ was afraid that if this line of action"was to be followed he would have to introduce some such matter from his side of the Houac. He admitted that the statements made were not in accordance with fact. Mr Pcarce: The portion I took ex ceptiou to was the statement that th<? Government assisted the trusts in their schemes. 1 think when a direct accusation is made against tho Government of the country that tho proper thing to do is to bring it up in the House. That is my opinion, whatever the opinion of the Leader of the Opposition may be.

Sir James G. Wilson at the Wellington annual meeting of tlie N.Z. Forestry League alluded to the death of Mr T. W. Adams, Ho could .scarcely bo classed aa a forester, but ho was a great lovor of trees and had, during his long residence at Greendale, planted many ncres in various valuable trees. He has bequeathed his most valuable plantations to the Board of the Canterbury College and further n sum of £2000 to help towards tho establishment of n School of Forestry in Canterbury. Tf was n most generous and timely bequest .