CROWDED OUT.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 169, 18 July 1924, Page 4

CROWDED OUT.

NEW ZEALAND MUTTON. REPLACED BY PLATE. THE LONDON MARKET. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) PALMERSTOU NOETH, this day. The following extract from a letter from one of the leading meat importing firms in London, received by a Palmerston North resident, is illuminating in view of the recent strictures of the Meat Export Control Board: — "We find that South American sheep appear to be in sufficient supply for the demand, and supplies were held back when the market went particularly low here, with the result that there is a little more afloat from that country. It is a definite and undeniable fact, and one we cannot be too emphatic about, that River Plate sheep have entirely taken possession of the mutton market previously held by New Zealand, and that, apart from a small trade in the very best descriptions of New Zealand sheep, there is very little business indeed for other descriptions. In our daily visits to Smithfield we have continuous and tiresome complaints from stallholders re the sale of New Zealand mutton. On Wednesday one of our clients had about half-a-dozen of a well-known Dominion freezing works sevens left on the hooks unsold, together with one Plate sheep of equivalent weight. We were asked to give an opinion as to the beet quality sheep on the hooks, and unfortunately we had to find in favour of Plate. It must be ' admitted that the best sheep were sold earlier, but the graded prime cost to stallholder (bought well) was 6Jd for the New Zealand and 53d for Plate. It is not to be wondered at that for every ten New Zealand sheep clients sell, they sell 100 Plates, with less trouble. The quality of New Zealand sheep this year, probably owing to drought, has been poor, and too few choice sheep are coming over. In bulk they are no better than Plate, and prices are out of proportion. The same applies to lamb. It is ridiculous to think New Zealand second-grades, ordinary brands, are making 10d a lb. They are making that price at the moment (early June) simply because there is very little Australian lamb for sale.