CORRESPONDENCE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13290, 28 January 1914, Page 4

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE MEAT TRADE. (To the Editor of the Herald.) ... , Sir,— The Armours, of Chicago', who control the beef , trade . m England, are erecting the biggest cold stores' in the world m London. It is to be the most up-to-date and cleanest stores m the Avorld, finished m white tiles, equipped Ayith the best-known facilities for handling frozen produce. The Armours are fixing up a cattle ranch m Rhodesia of some 300,000 acres to raise their own cattle.., "They .already oAA-n most of the freezing Vorks m South America^ and their own line of steamers to carry tbe produce: from- there. They have opened a branch m Perth, West Australia, now opened five to six Aveeks. They also control the cheese market here,- and as they cannot get enough cheese from Canada uoav, they are buying shipments of New Zealand cheese. ■Since the tariff reductions m the United States of America tame into operation they have sent many' shipments of frozen beef from London to the United States, and are also shipping frozen beef from the Argentine to the United States via London, pending facilities for storage •at New York, I suppose. The Armours have six shops m Smithfield, £0 to 60 m Canada, 500 to 600 m the United States, and they control nearly all the meat shops m. this country. . •' ; • Other big concerns are m operation m England, among them Messrs Salmon .and-, Glnckstein, tobacconists (1000 retail shops) • Maypole Dairies and Groceries (SOO shops) ;.. Boots, chemist (600 shops). A retailer who opens a shop Qii his OAvn account rs soon crushed out by .some of these big companies. There is urgent need for legislation m this country against big trusts, or the individuality of the British trader may soon be a thin,'? of the^ast. — I am, etc., H. H. WALL. London, Dec. 18, 1913.