The Wanganui Chronicle "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1917. THE MEAT TRUST'S CONTROL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 17126, 30 October 1917, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1917. THE MEAT TRUST'S CONTROL.

Some facts concerning the operations of the Meat Trust as they affect the producers of this Dominion have beaiv set out by Mr. W. J. Poison, who alleges that the inflation of prices at Home is largely due to the mistake® methods of the control of our meat at the other end. The fact is, says &, r. Poison, that the Trust is actually using our meat to put its own on the market at higher prices. Retailers are compelled in numberless cases to take A.merioan meat in order to obtain a small portion of colonial, because Arner-^ ican interests are handling our released lamb. The result is that the maximum wholesale price of our meals, for which the New Zealand farmer is paid from 5d to s|d. per lb., has been actually fixed by Lord Rhondda, Imperial Food Ccrttroller, at ll£d. per lb. Here is a table from the Imperial Meat Order of August last: — Beef and Veal, price, per stone. Homekilled. Imported. Carcass. Hindqrs. Foreqrs 19IT. s. d. s. d. s. d. Sept S 8 S 4 7 0--0ct..84 SO <?8 Nov SO 78 64 , Dec 80 78 64 191 S. Jan 7.4 7 0 5 8 Mutton & Lamb, Pork, price per stone. per stone. Home- , Im- Home- Imkilleci. ported, killed, ported. Carcass. Carcass. Carcass. Carcass 1917. s. d. p. d. s. d. s. d. Sept. ... 88 78 96 86 Ok ...SS 78 96 86 Nov. .. 8 S 7 8 9 6 8 6 '"1 Dec. ..88 78 96 86 1918. Jan. .. 8 S 7 8 9 6 8 6 Tn ascertaining1 weight, the offals are to be excluded. A stone of meat is Slbs. As long ago as February, 1915, the Imperial Government decided that 7-Bd. per lb. was sufficient margin between the New Zealand price and the wholesale pripe, nnd Mr. Poison briefly reviews the position in order to show how tlhe present extraordinary state of affairs has been reached:. /

In February, 1915, arrangements v;eve made between the Board of Trade and the New Zealand Government that the latter should secure' on behalf cf the Imperial Government all frozen beef, mutton, and lamb then in store or produced at the freezing works during the continuance, cr war and available for export. It was explained that the Imperial Government proposed to place all meat not required for the Allied Forces on the market, through ordinary channels and on 'termfs which Will prevent inflated prices to the civil population. Similar arrangements were made with Australian Government. Seeing the chanc© of helping the Home Country, both as regards troops and the public, and at the same time hav-. ing a fair price for their meat, all assistance was readily given b-y the producers arid works, and on March 3 arrangements were &et gd'ing. The prices arranged with the lijtfperial authorities were on the market parity of the time. The following were the (prices arranged :—

F. 0.8. / prices, slaughtered on and after March, 1, 3915. Description. <j. Wethers, first quality, 721b. & under 4 1-6. „ first quality, over 721b. .. iM second quality (in. quarters and sides-) . 4 U Ewes, first Quality, 721b. & under 4 „ first quality, over 72 lb 3% 1,, second quality 3% Lamb, specially prime and Canterbury quality, 421b. and under 5 5-8 „ first quality, 421b. and under 5 1-8 „ first quality, over 4'2lb. -. ... 5% „ second quality . (Inc. quarters and sides) 5%. Beef, prime ox 4% „ second and heifer- 41,4 „ boning and quarters 4 ~ cow, prime 41^ ~ cow, second 4'" „ boneless 5 (Odd hindquarters, %d above, and odd forequarters, %d below, schedule prices.) Mutton, legs 51£ „ shoulders '.*.'" 4% » T loins 4% ,i haunches 5 In addition to this it was arranged that storage should be paid) as follows: —(1) In the ca.se of meat in store, no storage to be paid until one month alter the inception of the scheme, after which date the rate to be -Jd per pouna per calendar montih or portion of a month. (2) In respect to meat slauHitered subsequent to this scheme comin« into operation, no storage to be payable imtil after one month has expired when the rate would be Id per pound 1 per calendar month or any portion of a month; but the total storage for any period should not exceed 3-Bd. per pound. For meat in freezing chambers i prior .to March J, 1915, am allowance ioi 3-Bd. per pound-to be made to cover 1 -storage and other incidental expenses , l<or tue month of February. 1915, wholesale prices at Home ruled:— Feb 5 Canterbury wethers, 48-56 d 5% Canterbury wethei-s, 56-64 '.'.'. 55^ Canterbury Avethers, 64-7 51& Feb. 12, 19, 26, not available". -*rr,rth Tc.in.na.—Rpi^p.tofi. Sfi_64- Feb 5 15 7-16 d: Feb 12 15|d ;Feb 19, 5 11-16 d;' Feb 26, s£. Best 56-64 -. SM, 0 11-16 d 'Vo"oj: -'■''■ En'es: -is-sl art: sy, -v 5 3-Bd, o 7-16 d. Lambs were not available. It will be noted that for wethers, first nii'.nlity. 4£d was to be paid in New Zealand, and storage, say, Jd. per pound, making a total of 4£d. If we tnke an average for February f we get, say, s|d per pound, oon-secniehtly "this would show a working balance "of Zd per pound. Now, tr.king into consideVation^ the fact that the producer was fsr.tv.-fipr] and ■ nndoulitedlv went out to help, anticipating that his meat would bo used for the benefit of Allied troops and VJllblio. n.nd that the prices were based on tbo market parity at thnt ■ time, viz., s§cl (weth'eps), why is the nmser..t or ice rulins? Following t;he inflation of prices a little further, we find

that from June. to December, 1915, I Government prices average about:— ' I Per lb. d. Wethers, first qt-ality 7 Wethers second quality ... 6| Ewes 7J Lamb, iirst grade 7 15-16 Lamb, second grade 7| and from January to December, 1916, about:— Per lb. i , dj Wethers, first quality 8 5-16 I Wethers second quality ... 8^ Ewes 8& Lamb, first quality 9& Lamb, second quality 9 3-16 The dissatisfaction of the producers at the Australasian end at this disparity induced • the Imperial authorities lata last year to grant a 7-8 d advance on mutton and lamb, and *d on beef, so that the 1917 prices rose in February to the following;— Per lb. d. Wethers, first quality ... ... 8 7-8 Wethers, second quality ... 8 7-8 Ewes 8£ Lambs, first grade 10 Lambs, second grade ... ... 10 Now the maximum wholesale price, as I have shown, has been fixed by the Food Controller at lii-d., but if we ,*ake the actual figures ruling before the last mail, left Home we still find an enormous and unaccountable margin, thus: — English Nesr (wholeZealand, sale.) Margin. d. d. d. Wethers (average price) ... 5i 8 7-8 31 Ewes 4$ 8J 3£ Lamb 6 <i-8 10 3| If an average of $d. storage is deducted from these figures, Aye commence with a working margin, of 7-Bd. per lb., which has increased to 3|d. per pound to 3§d. per pound. This, in spite of the fact that it was explained that the Imperial Government's idea was to place all meat not required by the Allied Forces on the market to prevent inflated prices. There was not any difficulty in doing this, and yet the margin of* profit to the wholesalers has been aJkSwed to gradually increase, for it cannot be assumed, as has been suggested by the High Commissioner, that increased freights and charges are re_ sponsible for this enormous advance. Now the shipments of meat to the United Kingdom in 1916 were :— New Zealand and Australian mutton and lamb: 6,748,171 carcases. mutton and lamb: 1,696,----470 carcases. In view of these facts and figures, Mr. Poison argues that it cannot be said that the Trust's large control of foreign meat has been responsible for the inflated prices.' Undoubtedly, he says, it has been their control of quantities of released meat of ours that has enabled them to do so. The Australian season was a very poor one, and the bulk of the imported mutton and lam» was New Zealand. The Imperial Government, Mr Massey has assured us, is not making a profit on our meat; then who is ? According to Mr Pdfeojn, the answer is obvious. "If," he< concludes, "we are to fight the Trust, the first' business of our Government is to obtain the sympathetic co-operation of the Imperial authorities and begin at the other end. It will then 'become impossible for the Americans to get llfd per pound from the retail butchers, not only for their own meat, but for ours, while our prices are controlled in the way I have pointed out."