PROPOSED MEAT POOL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 10280, 5 January 1922, Page 1

PROPOSED MEAT POOL.

BIG MEETING AT TIMARU

MAJORITY AGAINST GOVERNMENT SCHEME.

Over 300 persons attended a meet- I iug in Timarii on Tuesday morning a to discuss the meat pool scheme. The I Timaru-Agricultural and Pastoral k Association, Temuka and Geraldine o A. and P. Association, the Farmers' (; Union, and 'the Sheepowners' Union s were the promoters of the meeting. Col. K. Mackenzie presided. On the e stage were Mr J. Craigie, Mr Tj D. f Burnett, and Mr J. Bitchener, M.P.'s, c Sir Francis Bovs, Mr W. H. Sims, Mr I-I. D. Acland, Mr B. E. H. Tripp, s Mr G. Murray and Mr W. H. Nichol- p son (secretary of the Sheepowners' y Union), a Mr Cragie intimated that he at- t tended as a listener and a learner. p Mr Bitchener (a member of the a Pool Committee of the House) stated i that the Government's desire was to c help <he producers help them- s ■•■ elves in reducing the large percent- a :;ge of charges on the selling value | of meat. The Government would e not tone an unpalatable scheme. De- t tails would be considered at the Wei- i lington conference next week. Mr Burnett gave a few details. The finance required would be from x one million to one and a-half million •: and the pool would be managed by a j board at each end, not by the Govern- ; ment. The Manchester people had { telegraphed in favour of the pool, , and promised a sure market in the j North of England for New Zealand r meat. He saw no promise of the market improving under present con- { ditions. They must brush off the , middleman. ] Sir Francis Boys praised the promoters for common sense in inviting ( ; nil sides to express their views, not • as at tlte Ashbiirton meeting, where only one side was heard. As he had ; been connected w;l': >hv :r. •■:•.; dustry for twenty-eight years, and had been a member of the Wellington Producers' Committee for over a year, he had had ample means of ,ascertaining the needs of stockowners. All were anxious to assist both the Government and the producer, but the mere outline they had of the meat pool scheme was so Jacking in detail "that it could not gain approval as it stood. Sir Francis sketched the operations of the c.i.f. exporter controlling bis oxports as the markets required. Me argued that a board could not do this and the c.i.f. exporters would be cut out. Another class of exporter supplied firms owning thousands of retail shops, and this distributor would be put out of business unless he began at home. Buying fat stock here would be left to mere gamblers. The effect would bo that every farmer would have to Ix 3 a consignor through the pool, and might have to Avait for months for sales to be made at Home. The pool could make no reductions in freezing charges, nor could it have any influence in freight rates. In concluding, Sir Francis Boys named three good points in the scheme: (1) Advancing money to those who prefer consignment r to cash sales. (2) Pooling these lots to reduce multiplicity of small marks,, and weak holders. (3) Producers' representatives here and in London to keep farmers fully advised. These advantages, he said, could be obtained under a modified scheme and Avere covered by a report presented by the freezing companies to the Minister on December 21. Mr Sims said the Government must finance the scheme and the man Avho controlled the finance controlled the business. The Government insisted that it was to be a producers' scheme, so that if it failed the producers Avould be blamed. They admitted that there Avere risks, but did not say what they were. Even the members of Parliament who recommended the pool admitted that they knew very little about it. He pictured the NeAV Zealand Board hold ing back meat for better prices till the works' stores were crammed , full. Again buyers could not oper- ' ate. as under the commandeer, be- [ cause the Home channels that were ' open during the commandeer were to ' be closed. He ridiculed the Press ' suggestion that buyers would con- } finue for the profit in skins. The . \ T e\v Zeland Refrigerating Company r bought lambs to a maximum that they knew they could sell, and dared not* buv without such limit, but a ' pool board could not have the same ' reason for caution. Stock agents \ (lie knew of two) would not finance I farmers over stock unless lhey con--1 trolled the sale of it. Mr Sims feared political control ot ' ' ihe business. He admitted that there i was room for improvement in shipi pim: and improvei ment. in the Government i made a poor :>''., of these under the 1 commandeer. He could see henej fits in a voluntary pool financed by i the Government to help embarrassed I farmers. They did not propose lo scrap the wool, fat. and pelt organisations, but. only the meat, which Avas j] giving the best cicrviee of the lot. Mr . I Masscy had said, there, was no royal , ! road to prosperity, yet he proposed [■> i to make one by what he confessed v '■ was a risky experiment. . j Mr If. 1). Acland said he was susi picious both of the Government pro- ; ! pn.siils and those of interested freez- ' i ing companies. He wanted to know !• precisely what the pool scheme was, i or in what way it would improve 1 ! matters. They should not destroy '' i the present system until they were- ! ~uite sure of'getting something lictI i t! r. If all selling was to lie done at ! ilie other end, would it not be easier i for the trusts to attack them. Far- ; mors had neglected the business end •of their production, but wen; they

prepared to hand it over to the Go- ; i vernment? He would like to see a voluntary pooling, to preveat a weak I holder sacrificing his meat, and could i conceive of Government help being useful to weak freezing companies, . but they should know all the complete pool meant before adopting it." ; He had hoped to learn something ! about it from Mr Bitchener and Mr .' Burnett, but they did not appear to ' know anything more than the rest ' of them. "I don't want any more j Government control, and I am quite i sure you don't," he said. Mr M. J. Corrigan spoke to the effect, that the opposition of tilefreezing companies was the best recommendation of the scheme. Mr B. E. H. Tripp said he A\ r as sure that good would come out of the proposal. He thought the pool would be a mistake, but believed in a board of control at each end. He Avas not in favour of putting the expoter out of business. He favoured a compromise, and moved a motion * in favour of two boards and of a ( compulsory pool for all lots under j 500 of one grade mark, Government | advances, grading under AA'orks i brand and free selling in London, exporting firms to Avork in conjunction Avith the board --of producers here, avlio would fix minimum prices. Mr M. H. McLeod seconded. Mr J. Grigg proposed an amendment: "That the Government's •scheme be postponed for one year." It was, he said, rash to rush such a i scheme Avithout details and giving the producers time to digest'it. It Avould be giving the Government a blank cheque. He preferred Mr Tripp's modified scheme. Mr F. R. Flatman seconded the amendment. jFarmers, he said, Avould prefer to do their own gambling. Mr James Meehan said the export of meat could not be conducted Avorse than at present. Long experience told him. that the freezing companies did not treat producers Mr F. J. Millton said that if they Avere going in for this scheme they should go for it now for all they were worth. He moved: "That this meeting thoroughly approves of the scheme brought forAvard by the Government." Mr J. Casey seconded Mr Millton's j amendment, Avhich Avas put and lost , by 54 to 45. I The result was received with ap- j plause. The chairman tried to put Mr Grigg's amendment and Mr Tripp's motion, but the meeting Avas restive (it had lasted three hours) and declined to Avait for anything more. Later, representatives of the SheepOAvners' and Farmers' Unions, and Agricultural and Pastoral Associations, appointed Mr John Talbot and Mr George Murray to represent South Canterbury at the Wellington conference next week. HAWKE'S BAY AGAINST IT. HASTINGS, January's. The president of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society states that he has been advised that the resolution passed at the meat pool meeting at Hastings and made the subject of a Press Association , telegram last Friday, has been inter- >■ preted as meaniug that the meeting Avas in favour of the meat pool ; scheme put forAvard by the Govern- ' ment He states that such''is not the j case. The meeting generally Avas adverse to a compulsory meat pool \ and State control, but Avas prepared ' to consider any voluntary pooling ~ scheme, under Avhich the producer would sell and market his stock in ' any Avay he may think fit.