MEAT EXPORT CONTROL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18016, 15 February 1922, Page 8

MEAT EXPORT CONTROL.

PERSONNEL OF BOARD.

PRODUCERS' SELECTIONS.

COMMITTEE TO CONFER. [BI TELEGRAM.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON. Tuesday. Tho committee elected at tho recent producers' conference is to meet in 'Wellington on February 27 to'deal with tho question of tho election of tho meat export board. In the meantimo regulations under the Meat Export Control Act are being prepared, and some of thorn may be issued before tho commilteo meets.

Tho names of some probable members of tho board are being mentioned by producers, but there can be no announcement on the point > much before the end of tho month. It is recognised that tho selection of tho producers' representatives on tho board is a matter for grave consideration. The elected members will constitute a majority. Tho nomination of the two Government representatives may be hold over until the producers' representatives have been chosen.

Debates in Parliament indicated that Ministers and members wero impressed with the importanco of giving the commercial interests some representation on tho board. The member to bo solected by tho stock and station agents will bo a commercial man, but it is thought likely that he will not be tho only city man on the board.

The Primo Minister announced some time ago that the director of the Imperial Supplies Department, Mr T. R. Lees, was going to London as a special representative of tho/Government to inquire regarding tho Jiarketing and distribution of N.Z. produce, and to make some final adjustments in connection with tho Imperial contracts. Mr. Lees was to have left for London last month, but he has been detained hero pending tho completion of the pooling scheme He has been one of the advisers of tho Meat Pool Committee.

ELECTION OP THE BOARD.

THE BASIS OF VOTING.

Tho provincial executivo of the Farmers' Union yesterday received a letter from Mr. D. Jones, chairman of tho Advisory Committee for tho meat pool, in reply to a communication suggesting a basis for voting at the election of members of the Pool Committee The letter stated that the suggested voting baAs was one vote Jct every sheopowner up to 3000 sheep, over that number and up to 10,000 two votes, and over 10,000 three votes. The letter was formally received. Letters were also received from a number of blanches endorsing the executive's action in regard to the meat pool.

ADVANTAGES TO PRODUCERS

INFLUENCE ON PRICES. VIEWS OF FARMERS' PRESIDENT. Matters relating to the meat pool were discussed yesterday by Mr. W. J. Poison, president of the Now Zealand Farmers' Union, in a brief address to the provincial executive of tho union. Tho term " meat pool," Mr. Poison averred, was a misnomer. The Government's proposal in regard to meat was the adoption of the cooperative programme advocated by the union for tho shipping, marketing, and financing of their farm products. The union hoped to see the system adopted in regard to dairy produce. The programrao also included the establishment of co-operativo freezing works and of producer-owned and Statoaided shipping. It was desirable that legislation should be introduced authorising a levy on all outgoing produce to finance the shipping line. The only essential feature in which cooperative marketing differed from the meat pool, said Mr. Poison, was that the Government had gone furthor than the union had suggested, and had applied compulsion to it. Tho meat pool was our first attempt to follow tho example of other intelligent people in marketing methods, particularly the Americans, the Germans, and tho banes. The assertion that the scheme was an experiment and that it meant Government control was ridiculous. The same system had been in operation for years in the countries ho had mentioned, and had resulted in much benefit to the producers. I The Question of Shipping. Referring to shipping in relation to tho pool, Mr. Poison said the shipping companies had dominated tho producers in tho past, as bwing to lack of organisation tho latter had been unable to do colle.'tivo bargaining. Tho pool had altered all thu, and the producers .would now have their opportunity to bargain under conditions favourable to themselves. There wero; plenty of ships afloat, and the Government had already had offers from shipping people in Britain for the carriage of tliu meat. The speaker emphasised that the board appointed by the producers to con ! trol the pool would be in a position to 1 thoroughly organise the meat trade. Regular shipments would bo made, and the grading of tho meat would create a standard that the retailers would be able to rely on. In addition, there would prac-' tically be a standard price, or, at feast,! tho market would not bo subject to violent fluctuations. It was of course ridiculous to suppose that New Zealand, which supplied only about 6 or 7 per cent, of Britain's meat, was attempting to control tho meat prices, The point ho wished to make was that with proper organisation and an all-round education of handling, transport and marketing charges, the producers would get a considerably larger percentage of tho actual retail price than they were receiving at present. | Go-operative Banking Suggested. i Mr. Poison added that in addition to co-', operative marketing tho producers of tho Dominion would require to undertake cooperative banking. This had been done by other progressive countries, and our producers could only compcto with those countries by adopting similar methods oi, finance, if co-operative banking had existed in the Dominion when the wool mar |

ket was at its lowest, ho said, the wool-1 growers would have been encouraged and enabled to hold their wool till the market!

recovered. As it was, many were- forced, to sell at very unprofitable prices. I In reply to a question, Mr. Poison explained the method by which the board that would control the pool would be ap-, pointed. Ho said the country would be divided into 140 constituencies, and each individual farmer would havo a vote. In addition, the stockowners would have voting power in proportion to the quantity of stock they owned. The voting power would range from two to four votes each. The 140 delegates would meet at Wellington, and appoint a committee of 14. The board would be appointed by that committee. The speaker, in reply to another query, said he considered the Meat Export Control Act a good one, and it deserved the hearty support of tho producers.