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The Eon. Mr. T. Mackenzie. —Where is that'/ Mr. J. G. N. Grigg. —Well, I thought I had seen in the papers that this was so, but 1 suppose it is not all true that one sees in the papers. At any rate, I saw that the Canadian Government had bought a section, and would put up storage to help the Canadian fanners to get outside the Beef Trust. The Canadian Government have voted large sums of money for storage, so that the Canadian farmers can help themselves in this matter. However, it is the last thing I should like to suggest, that the Government should do everything for the farmers. I think the farmers should do everything for themselves. I merely mention that the Canadian Government has provided that accommodation. The Chairman. —I shall now put remit No. 5 to the meeting. Carried. The Chairman. —The next remit, No. 6, refers to the establishment of a depot in London, and we shall now proceed with that. Mr. W. G. Lysnar (Gisborne Farmers' Union). —Remit No. 6, " That steps should be taken to concentrate our export of meat in a depot in London, so far as possible," I shall now move. 1 think the necessity for this remit is shown by the remarks called forth from the last two speakers, particularly so by the mover of the last motion, Mr. Waymouth. I was much struck with the remarks he made in that matter, and it must show the necessity for concentrating all our produce as far as possible in one depot, so that we can depend on its being properly and honestly handled, and with as little damage as possible. When it is being handled in the ruck of large consignments going to other stores, there must be more damage than if it is being taken to the one store. I agree with those speakers who have stated that it is not possible to regulate the trade so that the whole of our produce goes to the one depot. Ido not think it is possible to do that, but it is possible that a depot, and a respectably large depot, should be provided, so that those who are not connected with any special firms can have a channel to go to which they feel and know will properly handle their meat. In sending Home the stuff, some of the people are both buyers and sellers, and so long as that condition prevails your meat must suffer. It has been suggested that in the storage your meat is used to exploit and test the market. Ihe sellers will put your meat forward, and hold back their own until the market is firm, and then the other meat goes on. That is a thing we wish to avoid. We, as producers, should be in a different position from that. We want to put our meat in a channel not mixed up with a buyer. We want to send it where we really control it ourselves, and not have it tangled up with anybody else's meat, or used to test the market. I think the remarks made by the different speakers show the necessity of that resolution. Of course, it would be an advantage to the Home buyer, I should say from the information I could collect, to be able to go to a depot and absolutely rely on getting New Zealand meat. I believe it is the common practice in some of the stores at Home to have Argentine and other classes of meat in the one store. You are supposed to get all New Zealand, but it is very questionable if you always do. It would be far better for us to have our own depot, and have it absolutely free from the meat of other countries, so that the Home buyer knows when he goes to the depot he will get New Zealand meat when he is paying for it. The second thing is to have a channel outside the channel used by those who are both buyers and sellers. That is an anomaly we should not permit to exist. Mr. J . D. Hall. —I have much pleasure in seconding this motion, and in suggesting that remits Nos. 6 and 7 be taken together. Mr. Alfred Burnett (Wanganui Freezing Company). —I think, Mr. Chairman, that the farmers are satisfied that the companies do all possible to send the meat from New Zealand in the best possible manner. The trouble begins as soon as the meat arrives at the wharf in the Old Country. 1 am not going to enlarge on this question at all. It has been well covered by other speakers. Mr. Waymouth touched a point I intended to say something about—the pooling. I feel that these numerous consignments must have their influence in regard to the deterioration of our meat trade. I think, myself, this can only be dealt with collectively, if the companies made it part of their regulations that all meat on consignment would have to be pooled. I cannot see, myself, why it should not be pooled in the interests of the producer himself. The companies pool their meat; they buy from different farmers, take it in, grade it, and pool it. A man might send in a consignment of sheep-skins; they are pooled with other skins, and sold. It seems to me to be the same with the meat. If the farmer consented to the action of the companies in doing this, he would really get a better price per pound than if his little lot were sold on its own. As far as the accounts are concerned, Ido not think there would be very much trouble about that. A man would have so much first-class and so much second-class meat, and so on, and when it was sold he would receive the amounts realized in the Home markets. We need not be surprised at the producer feeling and believing that he has a grievance with regard to the method by which the meat is put upon the London market at the other end; and when we find, as we found last August, lamb selling from 3d. to. 3|d., and being retailed at 7|d. fores and Bjd. hinds, it is unsatisfactory. Of course, we have heard that meat could be bought very much cheaper at some of the markets ; "but nevertheless, as has been pointed out, we in New Zealand should not like to claim as our own some of the meat sold cheaply in the slum shops. If meat is sold at B|d., surely it is not fair for the producer to get only -'ijd. If the farmer had a depot to receive his meat and sell it, he would be able to get a better price. Ido not mean there would be depots for the whole of the produce of New Zealand, but there must be places of refuge, as it were, and the farmer would have the option of sending his meat there, and most of our exports would, no doubt, in time find their way into those depots. Last year, of course, was not an ordinary year, and no doubt the great law of supply and demand was the greatest factor in bringing down the prices, but still last year did prove that conditions in London were highly unsatisfactory. Mr. Joseph Barugh (Auckland Agricultural and Pastoral Association). —I agree that the London trade is not carried on quite as it should be in the matter of discharge. It appears to