THE PROPOSED GOVERNMENT MEAT POOL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18447, 7 January 1922, Page 12

THE PROPOSED GOVERNMENT MEAT POOL.

Two members of Parliament—both on the committee which drafted the meat pool - scheme—were recently invited to enlighten farmers at. Timaru on what the scheme seriously meant. What a damning comment on this scheme it was when these two men had the nerve to appear at this meeting and say that, although they were on that committee, they themselves had come, not, to give information, but ' to try and get', some details of the scheme from men who cannot claim to bo, in any shape or form, in the confidence of the. Government! This hole-and-oorner-produced scheme ia made 1 to appear the more extraordinary as the Government have been wiring conveners of all such meetings to keep out anybody who can give them any information-, about the scheme, when the very sponsors themselves of the scheme admit that they know nothing about it. It is incredible that a proposal the most revolutionary in the history of the Dominion should be attempted to be rushed through except for some ulterior motives. In view of Government member’s total ignorance of the scheme* loose thinking by members of Parliament necessarily follows. Hence, while Mr Jonee says the origin of. this scheme was the cries of the producers, for the ’ Government to do something, on the other hand Mr Massey himself and another; member of the committee have said the whole thing arose as the result of a discussion of the issue of licenses to exporters during the comjng year. Apparently, to get the Government out of some trouble for which they have only themselves to thank, the whole of this great .industry in New Zealand is going to be made a football in order to have the prestige of someone up in Wellington. If Government menjbers at Timaru were diary of showing their ignorance, Mr Jones at Ashburton, with some three weeks’- experience of this trade, was .quite willing to rush in; and it is to be hoped that he has some sound reasons to support him, as he Certainly gave none in favour of this scheme at that meeting. Export houses say they cannot operate; but Mir'Jones says they can. Mr Jones was indiscreet, however, in that he gave his reasons, and they were that, buyers had operated under a commandeer which specifically assured them the retainA ing of their own outlets in England—a commandeer which gavo_ vast storage profits to the freezing works in Nerw Zealand— a commandeer under which all risk eg market was eliminated—he now thinks they will buy when the keeping-up of their outlets at Home has been taken from them and given to some 'unknown committee, and when, instead of their risk ending in the works, at that point their meat is given to form part of a huge gamble—and a gamble in which their money is going to bo played with by this great unknown ’ committee. If intelligent men can stomach such an argument, conld anything be more ridiculous than the suggestion that firms will keep up meat-buying organisations for the purpose of buying skins when any man in New Zealand can get all the wool-he wants in any one day’s wool sale in this Dominion. Having shown his “fitness” to grasp the effect of this schem% at his own door, in one minute he proposes to assert that equally well will the meat pool bo able to control matters in England. This Control consists mainly in New_ Zealand being able to force the consumer in England, accord- ' ing to Mr Nosworthy, into giving id a pound more for this meat, although the Argentine is clamouring to thrust, more and more moat on them at prices already lower than prices which the New Zealand, prq- ' ducer cannot face to-day. This scheme is backed by Government money, and the taxpayer, at the end of the year, will let the Government know that he is going to see that the man that finds the money is the man who is going to control the spending of it. One can imagine how the Argentine people will be rubbing their hands, as, having now only to face Government competitioff. while their own hands are free, and while still further developing their own business, they will incidentally lay bade to deal with iho Now Zealand meat when it comes along. Mr Massey, however, is cautious, all his stump orators are careful to say to the producers; “This' is not our scheme,; this is to be., your scheme; and all the risks (none of which we indicate) are to be on your , hands.” In the meantime,, a farmer, if he wants to sell his lambs at a price which - will bring him out of all his troubles for the year, is quite, unable to accept that price, but is forced to put his meat into a pool, to be sold at: some time and at some place by a board to whom he has handed over his own individuality. • The only thing the board does not propose to.take over is this man’s mortgages! —Advt.