MEAT TRUSTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10850, 16 March 1921, Page 5

MEAT TRUSTS

“FLOUTING GOVERNMENT” AN EXHORTATION TO THE PRIME MINISTER. MR W. D. LYSNAR’S VIEWS. That Armour and Co. were still operating in New Zealand and. flouting the Government, was declared in the House of Representatives last night by Mr W. D. Lysnar (Gisoorne). The Government, he stated, had refused an export license to Armour and Co., but lie knew that they w’ere absolutely flouting that attempt _to check their operations, by buying meat through various freezing companies, which were doing the exporting for them. He expressed 1 the hope, that before lie left the country, the Prime Minister would take action to put a 6top to this flouting of the Government and warn the freezing companies concerned that by their action they were running the risk of having t-heir own export license taken away. Action, he declared, should also be taken in regard to Vestey’s, which was one of the biggest monopolist concerns in the world. Sir William Vestey had stated on oath that his company was three times stronger than any one of the big five of the American Meat Trust. Three times stronger than Armour's! They had bought all that meat referred to by the Prime Minister that afternoon. They had bought it, alleged Mr Lysnar, through the influence of Sir Thomas Robertson, the head of the meat control, and himself interested in huge meat companies ; and they had no right to have bought it. Vestey’s had bought, through liis influence and money, Nelson Bros., Gisborne, the Tomoana works, and two others, and were using them to export without a license. They had stopped buying altogether at the two former works. Was it, then, any wonder that the trade of the country was getting into a state of chaos? Yet the Government had. done nothing. A Liberal member: Why don’t you vote against the Government? (Laughter). Mr Lysnar : Because they haven t done anything to make me vote against them. (Laughter.) But he said to the Prime Minister: “Don’t you go away from Now Zealand, and leave these trusts opera! "g. (Laughter.) We will see whether ,'ou were genuine in your promise to the Dominion when you said you were against big trusts and combines.” (Laughter.) It was, he declared, Sir Thomas Robertson’s control that had put the Dominion in the "position it was in; and he (the speaker) had the right to expect the Government to take up the matter in the manner the position warranted. (Hear, hear, and laughter).