BUSINESS BID

Northern Advocate, 28 January 1922, Page 5

BUSINESS BID

FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

LIVERPOOL SETS PACE.

THE POOL'S INFLUENCE.

(Special to "Northern Advocate,") WELLINGTON, This Day.

"I say that so far the meat pool has quite justified its existence," said the Prime Minister yesterday. The newspapers, he said, were recording almost daily advances in the prices of New Zealand produce and he believed that this fact was due in part to the organisation that was being arranged by New Zealand farmers. A large proportion of the increase was due to the meat pool. (Hear, hear.) Mr G. Witty (Riccarton): "What about; butter?" Mr Massey said he was not sure that the pool had not had an effect on the price of butter. The action that hud been contemplated by the Governments of New Zealand and Australia certainly had had a good deal to do with what had happened in connection with, the accumulated butter. The (legislation that would be required for the establishment of the meat pool had not yet been drafted, but it certainly would come forward soon.

Mr J. A. Nash (Palmerston) drew the attention of the Prime Minister to a cablegram reporting that President Harding w r as recommending an extension of the farmers' co-operative marketing organisation in the United States, the provision of greater working capital for farmers and the adoption of measures to prevent violent price fluctuations. The President had said that if the nation failed to aid the farmers'it would precipitate a disaster that would effect every industrial and commercial activity.

Mr Massey said that he had read the cablegram with a great deal of inter-

est. It showed that the Americans ■were moving on the lines that New Zealand was following. The first part of the message Tead like the description of the policy tinderlying the formation of tlie meat pool in this country. He did not know if America were giving New Zealand a lead or New Zealand were giving America a lead. In any case he could commend President Harding's words to the consideration of the Dominion, and particularly to the consideration of those people who were in the habit of saying that instead of aiding the farmers the Government should make their position more difficult by means of extra taxation.

The Prime Minister mentioned later that he had received a cablegram from the High Commissioner reporting that the storage charge on frozen meat at Liverpool had been reduced by 2s per ton per month from January 1. Every reduction of this kind was important to the Dominion at the present time.

Mr T. M. "Wilford: "Liverpool is bidding for the business." Mr Massey agreed that this was the case. The communications that Liverpool, Manchester and Bristol had exchanged with New Zealand had been published in Britain. He believed that the reduction was attributable to the organisation that being formed in this country. BOARD OF CONTROL. EARLY ESTABLISHMENT. The Meat Pool Committee has been sitting frequently-this week and is now awaiting the passing of legislation creating the Board of Control and j giving it neccssary powers. This legislation is expected to be before the House during the next few days. Members of the committee stated today that in the meantime farmers who desired to pool their meat and dispose of it through the board should hang it. up in the works to await the establishment of the board. He thought that the board would be in existence a fortnight hence.