A PROTEST.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 14741, 22 August 1921, Page 4

A PROTEST.

The American Government, ever alert to protect and,) advance the interests of its citizens, has lodged an protest with the British authorities'against the action of the New Zealand Government in declining to issue a license to Armours' Ltd., to export meat to Britain. This advances the negotiations a step and it will now be for the Dominion to "show cause." It is interesting to note that "the Australasian company is not connected with the American concern," but there is every reason to believe that Mr. Philip Odgen Armour, head of the Chicago, firm, is the chief shareholder of the firm operating in New Zealand, and that the other shareholders have only nominal holdings. A lawyer in the South did hold one share. The feeble argument put forward by Mr. Armour himself, that he was anxious to open markets for the Dominion producers, appears to have been overlooked by the American authorities. This country is willing and always has been willing to give the American firm a license to export to new markets. But there has been some little indefiniteness as to where they were. The protest, however, deals with the refusal to grant a license to export Britain, which is not exactly a new market, and, when it coines to the admission of foreign influence, is quite a different matter. It must be remembered that the big'American packing houses have a tremendous grip on the South American meat trade and on practically every source of supply to the British except in Australasia and, judging,the thing, not solely from the standpoint of New Zealand, but from the wider application of the welfare of the Empire, it might be-in the best interests, of all that there should remain a free and independent source of supply. The answer to the American effort to get a grip on our meat trade lies in the development of the co-op-erative movement. There has been a very important development lately, the co-operative companies themselves combining to sell products direct to the oversea "consumer. If the meat industry were as truly co-op-erative ",s, say the butter-making industry, aggression need not be feared., But unfortunately many of our meat companies are co-operative in name only and the. way is open for the foreign capitalist to get a footing. It is to be hoped that the Government will maintain the strong stand it has made. It will have behind it the weight of public opinion. We do not want foreign firms making inroads into our important primary industries. It would be much better for the country that the producer should control the produce and reap the benefit. We want the efforts made to strengthen New Zealand and New Zealand affairs; not the standing of Chicago meat firms.