["Speech by Mr. Scaddan", The Kalgoorlie Western Argus (WA), Tuesday 15 February 1916, page 18]
SPEECH BY MR. SCADDAN.
Perth, Feb. 9.
The Premier (Mr. Scaddan) addressed a crowded meeting at His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, to-night on current politics.
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Wyndham Freezing Works.
Dealing with the Wyndham freezing works, Mr. Scaddan said that neither he nor any of his colleagues had received one single penny in money or kind for what the Government had done in connection with the works. In 1910 Mr. Wilson, then Premier, thought it necessary to establish a freezing works in the north to find a market overseas for the State's surplus stock. Mention of the proposal was made in the Governor's speech at the opening of the 1910 session, but nothing had been heard of it up till the time the Liberal Government went out of office in 1911. When his Government decided to go ahead with the Wyndham works they did so with the object of frustrating the operations of the American meat ring, which had been let into the Eastern States by the Liberal Governments.
The Ring Had Been Kept Out
of this State by the actions of the Labour Government, but if the Labour Government was turned out and the Liberal Government came in, he believed the American meat ring would soon be in full swing in West Australia. It was recognised by even the meat ring itself that the strongest opposition they could get in northern Australia would be tne establishment of a State meat works at Wyndham, which, once they were started, would, effectively keep the ring out of the State for all time. Having decided to go on with the works, the Government communicated with the Agent-General, and, as a result,
Mr. Nevanas Came Out to the State
and made a report, which he was paid for. Being an accepted authority, the Government asked him to prepare plans for the works, which he did, and they were submitted to the State Departmental Board, who said on the plans that the works would cost £200,500. Mr. Nevanas, when he was told of that amount, ridiculed the estimate, and, at the request of the Government, submitted a tender for £155,000, which, when considered by the departmental board, was recommended for acceptance by it, particularly as Mr. Nevanas said he could
Complete the Works by March, 1916.
About that same time, a despatch was received from the Home Government asking the State to make every possible effort to supply the troops in the fighting areas with frozen meat, a scarcity of which then existed. It was a desire to fall in with this request that made the Government accept Mr. Nevanas' tender, and instruct him to go on with the work. The State unfortunately was a big one, and he could not refrain from saying that an area from Wyndham to Eucla could never properly developed until it had
More Than One Administration.
It might sound disloyal to say it, but it was his honest opinion. Mr. Nevanas told the Government that he would want some assistance to get his material to Wyndham, which was a reasonable request from him, and Cabinet decided to help him, and the State offered him the N.2, which was then in Melbourne, but owing to the Western Australian being sent to London for sale, they decided to cancel the charter to Mr. Nevanas, the N.2 being needed for mail service. It had been said, and he believed it true, that it was owing to the loss of the N.2 for carrying purposes that
Caused Mr. Nevanua Not To Go On
with the works. No actual contract had been entered into with Mr. Nevanas, but the arrangement was cancelled, and what material Mr. Nevanas had purchased the Government repurchased from him and was now using it in pushing on with the works by day labour. The only objection
the Pastoralists' Association had to the Government's scheme was to the hated principle of day labour.
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