THE MEAT TRADE

Southland Times, Issue 19460, 27 January 1925, Page 5

THE MEAT TRADE

IN REPLY TO LORD VESTEY (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright). (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, January 25. Mr Duncan Carmichael, secretary of the London Trades Council, and an ex-member of the Smithfield Control Board, points out that Lord Vestey’s evidence before the Food Prices Commission dealt only with concerns with a capital of under £10.000.000; but Vestey Brothers had admitted to the Committee which investigated the trusts in 19-20 that they controlled £20,000,000 of capital. Since then they had bought British and Argentine works. A vital omission from the evidence, said Mr CarmichaeL concerned the book-keeping method of the various subsidiary companies between the South American branches and the retail shops in Britain. It was the easiest thing for the head office in Rio de Janeiro to charge an excessive first instance price, thus deducing the intermediate profits, as the American trust did. Lord Vestey’s evidence relating to high costs at Darwin needed further explanation, and it emphasised the necesity for the Imperial and Commonwealth Governments co-operating to prevent tiie terrible waste of cattle in Australia.