MEAT EXPORT BOARD.

Thames Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 17761, 7 December 1929, Page 5

MEAT EXPORT BOARD.

SAID TO BE AN OCTOPUS

FEEDING ON FARMERS

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) HAWERA, Dec. 7.

“The Meat Export Board is simply an octupus feeding upon the farmers. It collects a lot of money, but does little beyond a small amount of advertising,’’ said Mr. C. D. Dickie,. chairman of the Patea Freezing Company, and a member of the South Taranaki provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union, when speaking at a meeting of that body yesterday morning. “The board is run by a few Canterbury sheep farmers and the Canterbury A. and P. Association.” he added. “It has an office in Wellington, which serves little purpose beyond the issue of a few statistics that are valueless to producers here, ’but which might possibly be of some interest to Home buyers. The board is not in touch with meat producers’ interests, as is the Dairy Board with dairy farmers’ matters. and its constitution seems only.a good opportunity for a few to draw big salaries and fees out of the £35,000 the board receives in levies.”

Mr. Dickie said the Meat Board had purchased a site for cool stores in a useless position on the wrong side of the Thames, an amount of £30,000 having been squandered upon it. There was an expensive office at Home, which sent over a few cables containing information that could lie obtained from the blackboards at Smithfield markets any Friday. He had made a study of the board’s activities during his recent trip Home, and based his obmments upon his observations. Mr. Dickie move? a resolution that the executive was opposed to the' formation of a Wool Board along the lines of the Meat Board, as suggested by the Dominion Executive of the Farmers’ Union.

The motion was carried unanimously