PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3526, 11 October 1921, Page 23

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

WELLINGTON, October 5. MEAT TRUSTS. It is understood that Armour and Co. will have another petition before Parliament this session. The matter was referred to in the House of Representatives by Mr G. W. Forbes, the member for Hurunui, who said the question was likely o be thrashed out more fully than it was before. “If/’ lie added, ‘‘we were going to deal with those trusus, the only wav will be to do it by the co-operation of tlie farmers themselves. The Government sliould combine with the fanners to deal with my trust that might come along. JFo suggested that they should so combine w ith the farmers for the marketing of their produce. It was hard to get farmers to combine when prices wore good and there was keen competition for our produce, hut would he easier to get them to combine when prices were low, and it was difficult to get. a market for the produce. If they could get tF.uch a combination there was no need to fear Armour and Co. or any other trust-. Mr Lysnar (GiVi orne) also referred to -Feat Trusts, and said that Yestey and (-o. were just as big a trust as Armour and Co. SINKING FUNDS AND PUBLIC SECURITIES. Formal returns relating to the Sinking Funds and the Public- Securities held in tne dominion or elsewhere were presented by Mr Speaker to the House of Representatives on Tuesday afternoon. In regard to the Sinking F unds the report is that nothing in the proceedings of the year has occurred calling for special remark by the Commissioners. .1 he totals of the Public Securities belonging to the undermentioned offices held 111l 11 dominion on March 31 last are as follows : Post Office, £44.847,218Government- insurance Office, £4.493,284. Public* Trust Office, £15.375,111. State Advances Office, £15.361,162. N ommissioners o! Public Debts Sinking Funds, £312.060. Slat.* i-'iio lii.-in ;r:i.-c, £298.084 'J lit- Tii-.is n-\. £3.4 A. 023 Total, £39,484,947. i lie t-.i-.l oi rhe Public Trust securities ni.- l ule- £1,503,821 iu i csocct of rlie Public Service Superanniuilicm Fund, and £640,144 m respe. t of idle leaehers’ S-upi rannuation Fund. October 7. MEAT IN LONDON. Mr \\ . S. Glenn (Rangiiikei) mentioned in tho House tnis afternoon the newspapers’ report of an interview with Mr Kidman, known as the Australian Cattle King, in which there was mention of a probable bad market for meat, and the tl’day, in getting Now Zealand lamb from the .-nips on to th-- London market Mr Ma ssey .said ho was afraid he could -* o l disagree wit u Mr Kidman in so far as the outlook for beef on the London market was concerned. He was bound to admit that for our beef at present the outlook was not particularly good, but lie thoug.it the position would improve when the remaining quantity of beef purchased by the Imperial’ authorities was got rid of. 110 was under the impression that it had been alma it disposed of a couple of months ago, but he \\ .1 - not quite certain. 110 could not expii r-- any -opinion that would lead the pastoralPts of this country to think that wo could for some <• uiciderablo time comp.-te stir .'- fully with the Argentine in ho: !. though in regard to mutton and Jamb we could do so. In regard to the handling of muiicui and lamb in bondon, lie had looked ij;io that matter when he was there iio had been in communication with both too Port of London Authority and the ship* owners, and they had admitted there narl been delays—somewhat serious delays,—but? tho-r- concerned were doing everything they could to avoid .-rich delays. “r r u - j