MEAT POOL BOARD

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11168, 25 March 1922, Page 6

MEAT POOL BOARD

‘NO HOLE & CORNER WORK*

PRIME MINISTER EXPLAINS METHOD OF ELECTION. GOVERNMENT TAKES NO PART Certain statements made at a meeting of the Dominion executive of tho Farmers’ Vnioii pn Thursday, dealing uith the election of the Meat Export Control Board, were referred to hv the Prime Minister (the Right Hon. I\ . F Matssev) yesterday in the course of an interview with a representative of the ‘ New Zealand Times.”

Mr Massey stated that one of the speakers was reported as saying that instead of being elected bv the producers, tlie board virtually Had been nominated by tlie Government. The appointment ot the board had been a hole-and-corner business, and the farnv ers in his district had no confidotoce whatever in a board so constituted. Captain Colbock said the Government had had a majority on the committee and had elected whom it liked. Another member said it wae a Government board. \ “Those gentlemen,” said Mr Massey, “evidently do not understand the position. At a very largely-attended meeting of producers held in Wellington in January, a committee of 14 was elected, seven from the North Island and ©even from the South Island. Those, with the six Members of Parliament who liad taken part in drafting tbe original scheme, constituted the committee appointed by regulation under the Act to elect the first members of the Control Board. Fi\<e members were accordingly elected, leaving two to bo appointed by the Government, and another who "was recommended hy the stock and station agents. Tlie two members appointed by the Government were MU’ David Jonc6 and Mr A. E. Harding, the latter particularly representing tho Auckland and Taranaki districts, which up to then had not been given a representative. Tlie Government took no part in the election of tlie board and had positively nothing to do with it. “I think Air W. D. Hunt, the nominee of the stock and station agents on ! the beard, is personally interested in farming pursuits-; and I am quite certain that sjll the other members of the board are farmers, and have the confidence of the farming community, not only in their own districts, but right through the Dominion where they are known. “The Control Board ha* started well, and I believe will do really good work.”

THE MEAT POOL LEW A FREEZER’S VIEW* PEP. PRESS ASSOCIATION. CHRISTCHURCH, March 24 Speaking at a meeting of the Canterbury A. and P. Association, Sir Francis Boys complained that freezing companies never had been consulted as to the manner in which the meat pool levy was to be collected. It was little wonder that tlie scheme was unbusinesslike. It was simply gazetted that the charges were to he made, hut no notion was made as to how the money was to be collected. If the intentions of the Government were borne put, then some means must be found to pass on the levy to the producer- The luxury of the meat pool was for the benefit of the Producer. He wished them luck. He could assure them the freezing oomf tallies need not bear the cost of the evy, and what was more would not bear it. Those on whose account the meat was shipped would have to pay the' charge of Id each carcase.