MEAT POOL BOARD

Otago Witness, Issue 3549, 28 March 1922, Page 13

MEAT POOL BOARD

FARMERS’ UNION CRITICISM. WELLINGTON, March 23.

Reference to. the Meat Pool Board was made by Mr W. J. Poison (chairman) at a meeting of the Dominion Executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union at Wellington to-d'ay. The Meat Export Control board, he said, had been appointed and had begun its labours since the last meeting of the executive, and he was sure they ail wished it a complete and triumphant success. A great responsibility was thrown on the board by the. Act. It could compel all meat in New Zealand to be compulsorily pooled or not, just as it liked. He knew that many producers were dissatisfied, feeling that too great a responsibility was thrown on the board. Many producers thought the Act should not have left the matter in doubt, but the boat'd had power, and no doubt it would use _t. as soon as it was ready. They must have patience, knowing that there was much preliminary work to overcome. At the same time tie realised that; nothing but compulsion would do. Mr W. G. Leadley (Ashburton) called attention to a press message stating that following on an expressed desire of the meat producers that the export levy on meal should be borne by them, at Addington the previous day the fat stock auctioneers announced that all bids for fat stock for export would be subject to a deduction of the tax in accordance with the notices from exporters, and that the sale had proceeded on those lines. That, commented Mr Leadley, was allowing them to get the thin end of the wedge in. The result would be that the Itvv would fall upon the farmers. He held that: the shippers should pay. Mr G. L. Marshall (Marion) remarked that what had been done was pure camouflage, in erder to excite feeling against the meat pool, but there was no question that whatever was done the farmer would have to pay the levy every time. Mr Leadley said that the amount of the levy— per cat case —was insignificant. It was the principle that was objected to. Mr R. D Duxfield (Horotiu) stated that ihe freezing companies were objecting to pay the hack levy, out not to paying it for the futuj’p. The Chairman said that the matter was very simple. The exporter would have to pay on export He was deducting' the penny from the farmer to make sure of it. Mr C. Smith (Wanganui) expressed the opinion that the penny should not be paid at the salevard, because lamb, for instance, might be void again and again before it was exported. He thought that the levy should Ire paid on export. Mr Leadley stated that the 'neat pool was not yet in operation The board was not yet handling any meat, but export buyers were already demanding this penny. A common sense thing, he contended, was for the man whose meat was being dealt with to be charged with t.he penny. Mr Duxfield ’held that the Meat: Control Board, includir g two Government representatives, a stock and station agent representative and with one gentleman (Mr John Grigg) on it, who had expressed himself as absolutely hostile to the pro!, was not properly representative of the producers. They had beer told that the producers would be given a say in the election of the board, but the matter had been rushed on them. Ihe feeling in Auckland was that the board had practicallybeen nominated by the Government and they had not the confide nee in the board that they would have had if it had been elected by a producers’ vote on the lines suggested. The Government had a controlling influence on the board, although Mr Massey had laid it down that there would be no doubt about it that the producers would have control. The farmers in his district bad understood that this was only to be a temporary board, and that, a permanent board was to be elected as soon as possible. The Chairman: There is to be an election.

Captain C'olbeck (Auckland): Yes, in two years’ time; but two years is far too long for a board to be in existence that we know nothing about Mr J. H Joll Hastings) contended that the pool should be made compulsory. He admitted that the pool had already done wonders by raising values, but did they think that he was going to put his meat through the pool when he knew that other people had the privilege of doing otherwise? He urged that the executive should take a strong stand for compulsion. Mr G. Ti. Marshall (Marton) thought that ihe constitution of the board was very satisfactory. It was composed of good, level-headed men, though perhaps not elected in the best way. The board had not started operations yet. They should give it time to show what it was going to do —a chance to prove itself. Mr Duxfield moved a r-esolution to the effect that, the executive took exception to ihe manner in which the board had been set up, and held the opinion that producers should have full representation on the board. The Chairman urged that it would he very inadvisable to pass such resolution now. even if they agreed with it. It would not be giving the board a fair deal. Mr Duxfield said he was not objecting to the personnel of the board, but to the wav in which the appointments had been made. They had been given to understand that the hoard was to he elected by a vote of the producers, and that this hoard was to he set up only for a short time. —(“Hear, hear”) —and that then the producers would elect a permanent board, each district voting according to the number of sheep it livid. Mr Leadley said that a feeling existed down south that an election had been hastened. and that it was a Massey board—a Government board. They had been under the impression that this was to he only a temporary board, that the producers were to elect a permanent board, but that, of course, had not been done. Mr \V. B. Matheson (Eketahuna) agreed with the chairman that they should give t.he board time, and not go back now to the method of appointment. Mr Joll said he understood that, everybody was satisfied with the personnel of the board, and that its members were men in whom they had confidence. He suggested that they should therefore waive tire quea-

tion of the method of their appointment, and leave the matter as it stood. This closed the discussion. THE CONTROL BOARD'S FORMAT lON. WELLINGTON. March 24. Certain statements made at a meeting of the Dominion Executive of the Farmers' t nion dealing with the election of the Meat Export Control Board were referred to by the Prime Minister (the Right Hon. W. F. Massey) to day in the course of an interview. Mr Massey stated that: one of the speakers was reported as having said: “Instead of being elected by the producers, the board virtually had been nominated by the Government. The appointment of the board had been a hole-and-cornc<r business, and the farmers in his district had no confidence whatever in a boar., so constituted.” Captain Colbeck had said that the Government had had a majority on the committee, and had elected whom it liked. Another member said it, was a Government board. “These 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 —seven from the North Island and seven from the Smith Island. With them the six members of Parliament who had taken part in drafting the original scheme were the committee appointed by the regulation under the Aset to elect the" first members of the Control Board. Five members were _ accordingly elected, leaving two to be appointed by the Government, and another, who was recommended by the stock and station agents. The two, members appointed by the Government were Mr David Jones and Mr A. F. Harding, the* latter particularly representing the Auckland and Taranaki districts, which up to then had not been given a representative. The Government, took no part in the election of the Ivprd. and had positively nothing to do with it. “I think Mr W. D. Hunt, the nominee of thei stock and station agents on the board, is personally interested in farming pursuits, and I am quite certain that all the other members of the board are farmers. and have the confidence of the farming ) community, not only in their own district, but right through the dominion where they arc known. The Control Board has starter! well, and I believe it will do really good work.