TRADE AND COMMERCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 93, 23 April 1891, Page 8

TRADE AND COMMERCE.

The improved prospects that exist for the shipment of frozen meat from this port appear to have already had a perceptible effect on the sheep farming industry, and news of increased values for both wool and mutton has been received from several country districts. The season on the whole ia expected to be a good one, and the financial results should be exceptionally good.

A fair shipment of kauri gum and dressed Now Zealand flax goes forward to New York from this port by the German barque Valparaiso, which cleared at the Customs on April 7 for New V ork direct. The vessel has under hatches 1,730 cases kauri gum (about 216 tons) and 1,347 bales flax (about 200 tons). This shipment of flax is about the laet of this season. The Valparaiso is under charter to the New Zealand Shipping Company.

A large shipmenb of apples was made on April lOfeh for the London market, about three tone having been senb per Waihora for transshipment at Lyotelton, Messrs Lippiatt and Sons and Mr Alfred Sturges, of Otahuhu, being the shippers. The above named firm (Messrs Lippiatt) have this season paid nearly £50 tor freight alone, and their consignment of fruit would have been much greater if space in the steamers could have been granted.

On April 10th the Christchurch Committee of the Chamber of Commerce cordially endorsed the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce's protest re bills of lading, and agreed to authorise the Melbourne Chamber to sign it on behalf of the Canterbury Chamber. New Zealand fruitgrowers have been singularly neglectful of their interests in taking advantage of the American market, notwithstanding the fact that they have repeatedly had their attention drawn to the opportunity that exists for opening up a good trade with the United States. Their apathy in neglecting to secure space for shipments of fruit by the San Francisco mail steamers has left an opening for a Tasmanian Company, which threatens to monopolise all the available space for fruit storage on the K.M.s. Alameda, due to arrive here from Sydney on the 25th inst. New Zealand shipments are consequently shut out for the present trip, and the same kind of thing is likely to continue, if we may judge from an announcement made by the Tasmanian Fruitgrowers' Co-operative Shipping and Agency Company, to the effect that " they have completed arrangements for shipments of fruit to San Francisco, to be carried on deck and in cool 'tween decks only per mail steamer." The fruit it> brought from Hobart to Sydney, and there shipped for San Francisco via Auckland, and New Zealand growers have awakened too labe to find thab they have probably been chub out of competition for some time to Come. There is undoubtedly a good market for fruib in the United States at this time of the year, and some energetic steps should be taken to see thab provision is made by later mail steamers for shipment of New Zealand fruit. FROZEN MEAT CONFERENCE. A conference of delegates from New Zealand freezing companies opened on April 7

Wellington. The delegates are as follows : — Auckland Frozen Meat and Storage, Mr W. J. Caverhill; Canterbury Frozen Meat Company, Messrs J. Grigg, W. Chrysfcall, and F. Waymouth; Christchurch Meat Company, Messrs P. Cunninghan and J. M. Watt ; Gear Meat Company, Messrs M. Reid, J. Gear, and Dr. Newman ; Longburn Slaughtering and Freezing Companya Mr Charles Bull ; Nelson Brother, (Limited), MrW. Nelson; North British and Hawke's Bay Freezing Co., Messrs W, Kinross, A. White, and A. William; Southland Frozen Meat and Produce Export Company, Mr W. Nicholl ; South Canterbury Refrigerating Company, Mr E. Acton ; Wanganui Meat Freezing Company, Messrs E. A. Campbell and G. S. Robertson ; Wellington Meab Export Co., Messrs W. C. Buchanan, W. G. Foster, and W. Booth ; Mount Egmonb Freezing Co., Mr T. James. Dr. Newman was elected chairman, and Mr Waymouth, of Christchurch, secretary. The subjects discussed were: —(l) Expediency of appointing an officer to inspect meat as deliversd to ships, in order to obtain clean bills of lading, and preclude subsequent dieputee as to whether the meat shall have been properly frozen when shipped ; (2) effective survey of ships and ships' chambers prior to receiving meat in New Zealand, and to require a guarantee from the owners in respect of the ships that shall have damaged meat previously ; (3) expediency- of requiring that the existing practice of paying premiums to captains and engineers for saving coal be abandoned, affording as it does a temptation to withhold coal, so as to prejudice the safe carrying of meat; (4) that the captain be held responsible for the supervision of the machinery and temperatures of the chambers during the voyage; (5) to provide against careless or improper handling of meat in discharging from ships, or in docks, and to secure a systematic inspection of temperatures in dock stores, and machinery and insulation of these stores; (6) expediency of taking such united action as shall secure the consent of shipowners to the payment of freight at destination, and on delivery of meat in good condition; (7) any other business in respect of which united action could apparently be taken in the mutual interest of the persona chiefly concerned in the successful carrying on and development of the JXevr Zealand meat trade. A number of resolutions affecting the trade were passed, and it was decided not to let the nature of them transpire. Several interviews took place between the conference and the representatives of the various shipping companies with respecb to freight contracts, and an Executive Committee, consisting of Messrs J. Grigg and W. Crystal (Canterbury Frozen Meat Company), W. C. Buchanan (Wellington Meat Export Company), J. Gear (Gear Meat Freezing Company), W. Kinross White (Hawke's Bay Freezing Company), and A. M. Claik, was appointed to continue the negotiations. The "New Zealand Times" states that one result of the Conference of Frozen Meat Companies is thab the shipping companies have agreed to reduce the freight after the end of the year to Id per lb. This means a reduction of £100,000. All the existing contracts will be completed on the present basis.