MEAT EXPORT

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20065, 23 March 1935, Page 4

MEAT EXPORT

BRITISH BODY’S CIRCULAR WARNING TO GROWERS Yesterday the secretary of the South Canterbury Branch of the Farmers* Union Mr D. Crosbie), received the following circular from the British Association of Meat Wholesalers Standard London): “At a recent meeting of the Council and Dominions’ Committee of this Association, a resolution was passed that it would be to the mutual advantage of the members of both Associations to exchange views.’ We are known as British Wholesalers Group 3, and we represent about 80 per cent, of the private wholesale distributors of imported meat in this country (London and 20 provincial towns). “For the purpose of organisation, British Wholesalers have been divided into three groups:— Group 1. —The Federation of Wholesale Fresh Meat Traders, representing Fresh Meat Distributors of the provinces. Group 2.—The Fresh Meat Section of the London Central Markets Tenants’ Association, representing distributors of Fresh Meat in Smithfield, London. Group 3.—The British Association of Meat Wholesalers, Ltd., representing distributors of Imported meat in London and the provinces. “All groups w’ork together when matters of common interest arise, and recent discussions have taken place with Sir James Parr, New Zealand High Commissioner in London, and the representatives of the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board, including Mr David Jones (chairman). Many of our members have been distributors of New Zealand meat for many years and have built up considerable businesses, their supplies being generally obtained through the agents in London, who in turn represent the many meat works in the various parts of New Zealand. You are, of course, aware that a large part of the export from these meat works has been on account of the individual New Zealand farmer, and that every effort is made by vour Meat Board to help and encourage this form of business. Depleted Supplies “Recent events have focussed the attention of large vested interests in the direction of big purchases of live stock direct from your farmers, w r ho have hitherto been sent forward on consignment, with the result that the agencies and, therefore, the British wholesale distributors, are finding themselves with depleted supplies for distribution in this country. Admittedly the live stock so purchased is industrialised and exported to this country by these big vested interests, but these firms, having their own wholesale distributing organisations, do not show any special desire to do otherwise than distribute these supplies themselves. This is a state of affairs which, if carried to excess, as has been done in other countries such as Argentina, will tend to eliminate the British wholesaler, and it will no longer be of any use consigning your meat to England as there will be no one to buy It. You will, therefore, be forced to sell all your live stock alive, and your alternative market, which has always been of inestimable value in giving you the opportunity of marketing your own meat, will be lost. “These views are put forward in as simple and plain language as possible, in the assurance that you will realise that this is the way monopolies are formed, and that with a non-com-petitive market (experience having shown that these big vested interests usually work together in the long run), you will be forced to sell at their price, and that no laws passed by your Government or regulations of your Meat Board will be of any use, when your free and open market has disappeared.”