A WARNING.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 43, 22 February 1924, Page 4

A WARNING.

The summary of Wiiddel and Co' 9 annual report on the meat trade of Britain that we publish in our cable news today is of unusual interest. It is pointed out that the quantity of beef, mutton, and lamb imported from the Dominions is proportionately decreasing, and the quantity obtained from foreign countries is increasing. South America is seriously challenging the supremacy of the Dominions in mutton and lamb. There is nothing new in this, but the latest figures are impressive. Such returns must be considered in the light of other statistics. While New Zealand, for example, has been sending away less frozen meat during the last few years, her dairy exports have increased enormously. That is to say, a large amount of energy and capital ' has been diverted from meat growing tn butter and cheese production. Nevertheless we cannot afford to neglect the warning in this report. That the Argentine can beat us in beet has long been recognised. Now we are informed that though the Argentine appears to be incapable of producing mutton and lamb equal to New Zealand"s high standard, a preat improvement has been noticeable in recent years, and that Argentine mutton can now command higher prices than Australian It is plain that we cannot rest complacently on our achievements. Last year a Southern authority declared I that the quality of lambs, which are our finest meat product, was seriously deteriorating, and called on farmers to pay more attention to breeding and feeding. This Argentine competition must be met by better methods. All this underlines what has boen said, especially by the Chancellor of the University in his striking address to the Senate, about the need for improved farming.