MONOPOLY IN MEAT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 85, 30 May 1911, Page 5

MONOPOLY IN MEAT.

; v IS . A TRUST OPERATING? .. . , Serious concern yyas expressed, at the Auckland Farmers’ Union Conference at statements made recently to the effect that , the - American. Meat Trust has commenced operations in New Zealand. 1 . Mr. Makgill (Waiuku) said 'he could not say definitely that the American Meat Trust had entered into the frozen moat trade in New Zealand, but ho felt convinced that it had, and the danger was a very real one. He referred to the. report'that the ShawSavill Shipping Company was controlled by the Morgan Combine, and said that if this question were looked into, they would find that it was closely connected with the frozen meat trade in New Zealand. Shipping companies often assisted freezing companies when a financial crisis occurred, and he had reason to believe that the Shaw-Savill Company had obtained large control in this way.- He could give one instance from which delegates could deduce that freezing companies were influenced by shipping companies, and that was the slaughtermen’s strike. Ho thought’ that the men’s demands had been granted bb that the ships might not go Home empty. , Captain Colbock said the American Moat Trust was a. very big affair, arid he did not know what steps New Zealand farmers could take to prevent it operating in Now Zealand. IS was at least imperative that precautionary measures should ho adopted throughout the Dominion, and the Government should ho asked to keep a watchful eye on the trade. The President (Major Lusk) said ho was sure all the delegates agreed that it was desirable to put a check on trusts. Perhaps some of Them did not know what would happen if the combine operated in Now Zealand. Put in a nutshell—the trust would fix a price for the farmers’ produce, and from the difference between that price and the prices the trust sccure’d in the markets, extraordinary fortunes would be amassed in America. The following remit from the Auckland branch was then jfassed, on the motion of Mr. Makgill:—“That the anion views with concern the fact, as reported from London, of the control of the Shaw-Savill Shipping Company by tho Morgan Combine, a /a, as the shipping companies are so hound up with tho frozen meat industry of tho Dominion, urges the Government to keep a watchful eye over tho possible means of American control of this very important industry of the Dominion.” It was also decided to ask tho‘Dominion Conference to take the matter in hand, and bring it before tho Government.