COUNTRY PRODUCERS AND TOWN CONSUMERS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5560, 16 February 1897, Page 3

COUNTRY PRODUCERS AND TOWN CONSUMERS.

ME A. W. HOGG AT EKETAHUNA. Tho following correspondence was read by Mr Hogg, M.H.R., at a meeting at Eketahuna on Friday evening;- . Mastcrton, lUtli January, 1897. Dm Sm,—l have been requested by various producers in tliis district to bring under your notice the difference tlmt exists brtween the rates for the earringe of live and dead mout by roil. You will remember that during last session a deputation waited on you in reference to this matter, and that I brought the question up in tlio House. What 1 would respectfully submit is that the rules for the earringe of beef and nmtton from the country to the seaboard might be modified with great advantage to the public without loss to the Railway Department. It is urged that if carcases were carried as cheaply os live slock a considerable portion of the meat now consumed in Wellington and suburbs, would be slaughtered in the neighbourhood of the pastures where the stock arc fed. Anyone at all competent to speak on the question will admit that under such conditions the meat would be of superior quality to what is now vended. It is notorious that owing to driving, partial starvation, packing closely in trucks, and half suffocation ill in the iiimutaka tunnels the live stock from this district arc so tortured that ihe llesli is sadly deteriorated before it readies the slaughtering places at Petone. The producers here, I believe, have no wish to interfere with the important export industries cslablished there, but they consider reasonable facilities should be giyeu residents of (lie large centres for obtaining their supplies of meat and other perishable produce under advantageous circumstances. At the present time owing to bush tires and the scarcity of grass (lie up-country stock market is glutted and sheep are almost unsaleable. This being the case it is manifestly desirable that the consumers of Wellington should be enabled to secure good meat at .a cheap rate, instejd of being placed in the hands of two o: three large middlemen. Of course, if effect is given to my request, and a rckuction of freight is made the producers will share the benefit with llic consumers because tlicy will have the advantage of direct communication with a good market. That the present tariff is unsatisfactory is clearly shown by the fact that Mr Yule, who some time ago endeavoured to establish a meat trade of this character found the speculation disastrous anil, with the exception of pork there is, I understand, no traffic wliatcever in dead meat,

The question, I can assure yon, is one of great importance, and I will be glad if you will give it your early attention, and see if something can be done.— Yours very truly, A. TV. HOGO. Hon. A. .T. Cadman, Minister of Railways. The following is tlio reply to the foregoing:— New Zealand G overnmcnt Railways, Head Office, Wellington. 2nd February, 1597.

Siii, —AY i tli reference toyonrlcttcr of the 13th nit,, in regard to the assimilation of the rates for conveyance of livestock and dead meat, I have the honor to inform you that the matter has received very careful consideration and I regret I cannot see my way to comply with your request. The rale [or the carriage of dead mrat for seventy miles is 2Ss 8d per ton, or one seventh of a penny per lb. This is a very low rate mid 1 am of opinion that no reduction that could be made nn it would bo sulliciuiit to enable slaughter-houses in the country to displace the meat as now killed and supplied to the City, I hayc the honor to be, Sir, Your Obedient Servant, A. J. Cadmax, Minister for Railways, A. TV. Hogg, Esq., M.11.R., Wellington.

Mr Hogg said that hearing that Mr Donald Donald had been making some enquiries about the freight for meat in the Australian colonies, he applied to him and was furnished with some correspondence from the manager of the Australian Chilling and Freezing Company, of New South Wales. He road a letter from that gentleman who stated that the N.S.W, railway charge on frozen meat, up to 100 miles, was .Ud per ton per mile, and beyond that distance 1}(1 per ton, The rale charge in New Zealand was ad per ton per mile, or more than three times the charge in New South Wales. He considered tho railways, being the property of the State, should be used for the advantage of the people and that charges on country produce should not be prohibitive. While disclaiming any desire to injure the large meat companies established for export and other purposes at Petone, he could not help remarking the difference between these companies and the farmers, out of whose produce they netted their profits. The settlers had to put up with fluctuating markets and had to face bad seasons, but the meat syndicates were able to keep up directors and their staffs and declare dividends of 8 per cent, with the utmost regularity. These good profits-for 8 per cent, was a high rate for money -came out of the pockets of the country settlers. (Hear, hear). The people of Wellington wero supplied by the large middlemen or Freezing Companies and he was under the impression that they had often to pay a stiff price for an article that | was by no menus lirst-class. Indeed he had expert testimony that the cruel usage to which Jive stock were subjected before reaching the abattoirs damaged tho flesh, He had felt tho effects of accidentally leaving the door of the carriage opon while going through one of the Rimutaka tunnels and ho did not wish to do it again, What ho was surprised at was that seeing lww lamps were extinguished sometimes by tho smoke the sheep on tho trucks wero not suffocated on I right. He thought the people of Wellington were entitled to get meat carried at a reasonable rate from tho country and it was greatly to be deplored that they had no public ninrkot where they could deal with the pro-' ducer without the intervention of the middleman, (Applause), If the municipal authorities wero unable to provide markets, it might be necessary for the State to take tho matter in hand, (Renewed applauso), After referring to the co-operative movements in various parts of the world, Mr Hogg advised the Eketahuna settlers to give the question of establishing meat works and distributing depots their best attention, pointing out that what was required was combination and' earnestness rather than capital, and all difficulties in the way of sncli enterprises iwould disappear,