The Press. WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 1895. NEW ZEALAND AND THE LIVE STOCK TRADE.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9110, 22 May 1895, Page 4

The Press. WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 1895. NEW ZEALAND AND THE LIVE STOCK TRADE.

There are few subjects of more interest to the farming community in Australia and New Zealand just now than the possibility of carrying on a profitable trade in the export of live stock to Europe. The low prices which have been ruling lately for frozen meat have emphasised the necessity for endeavouring to find a more remunerative method of placing our surplus stock in the consuming markets of the world. Attention was given in the first instance to cattle partly as being a more compact kind of cargo than sheep, and partly because beef does not stand freezing as mutton does. So far as we are aware the first colonial to suggest the possibility of a profitable trade in shipping live cattle from New Zealand to England was Mr. A. H. Tubnbull, the Manager of the New Zealand Farmers' Co - operative Association. In November, 1891, Mr. Tuknbull returned from a visit to Great Britain, and in interviews with representatives of the Peess and Auckland Herald he expressed his opinion that a large and valuable trade in shipping bullocks to Europe might be developed. He pointed to the fact that an average of 6000 cattle a week from America was being landed at Liverpool, and the same number at Deptford. He also referred to the shipments from the River Plate, mentioning one case which had come under his notice in which the cattle had been on board a Steamer sixty-two days and yet were landed in good condition. Our cattle, he added, were greatly superior in point of quality, and he saw no reason why they should not be shipped to England and sold at a profit. Up to the present, the suggestion then thrown oat by Mr. Tuenbull has hot been acted upon here, and, in fact, we doubt whether there is much scope for shipping live bullocks, at any rate, from the South Island to England, as the relative urices here

and at Home would leave no margin of profit. Possibly a trade may yet be done from the North Island, which, of course, would be of benefit to the colony at large, but for the moment we are more concerned with the prospects of our being able to ship live sheep at a profit. This is done successfully by Argentine growers, as a travelling correspondent of the Press pointed out in a letter published on July 28th of last year. Figures were then given which showed that, so far as Argentina was concerned, the business was being carried on at a good profit. We are not yet certain that it can be undertaken by New Zealand with equal advantage, although the matter is one well worth investigating with the utmost care. The great difficulty seems to bathe large amount of cargo space required for the carriage of the sheep, and of the necessary fodder, and the consequently heavy freight which steamship companies would be compelled to demand. It may not be generally known that trial shipments have already been made with the view of practically testing the feasibility of shipping live sheep to England from this colony. We have before us some very interesting figures regarding one of the trial shipments we refer to. In this case it was decided to make it a joint venture between the shipper and the shipowner ; the price of the sheep was fixed at 11s and the freight at 10s, and it was agreed that the profit or loss j should be shared equally. From the experience gained on this occasion it is concluded that the pens should be constructed to give five superficial feet to each animal, and the pens should not contain more than ten sheep each. The fodder required occupied a cargo space of no less than fifteen cubic feet per head, the quantity being based on s£lb per sheep a day for a fiftyday passage. The expenses of the shipment were worked out as follows : —Assuming that the quantity of fodder shipped is consumed, also that watertank, buckets and fittings are worth say ilO after the voyage is over, the cost per head would be, fodder, 8s 6d; fittings, &c, 8s ; attendance, Is 7d; insurance and harbour dues, 4d. The freight the steamer was to get was 10s per head, but it must be borne in mind that this was an experimental freight and a joint venture, as already stated. We learn from a high authority in the shipping trade that if live sheep were offered to him on freight for upper deck space he would want 15s per head at least, steamer to find fresh water only, and crew accommodation and victualling for one attendant only. It may be mentioned that in the case under notice, as the pens were erected inside the poop no roofing was necessary, and if roofing had to be done it is reckoned that another Is per head would be added to the cost of fittings. As a matter of fact in the case of another shipment with roofed-in pens on the forecastle head the cost of fitting 3 came to Gs 2d per head. The actual details of the disbursements in the case under notice were as under; — £ a. d. 200 cro3sbredß, at lla ... 110 0 0 50 halfbreds... ... ... 27 10 0 Fodder—lß tana compressed hay at 555, aud railage : ... 50 18 0 2£ tons pressed straw at 40d, and railage ... ... 5 3 3 2 tons oaten chaff at 35s lid, and railage ... ... 411 10 20 bags cabbages at 2s 6d, and railage ... ... 216 9 35 bags—2J tone linaeed and peas at £12 and £5 10 ... 23 3 1 9 tone bran at 40s ... ... 18 0 0 Railage on bran, ... ... 134 9 Railage'on linseed... ... 011 3 Fittings—Pens, troughs, wood, and labpur ..., ... 40 4 3 Water tank — 400 gallons, \ buckets, and hay fork' ... "6 8 0 Harbour dues on sheep at 2d each ... ... ... 2 2 0 Insurance T. UO. £450 at 12s 6d per cent. ... ... 26 8 Cattle man's attendance, London, as agreed »» ... 15 0 0 £310 9 10 As to the result of the venture under notice, we find that the sheep were all landed in England without loss— a very satisfactory; feature —and the heavy ones brought 43s in tha English market. Under the system of division already referred to, the shippers got about 14s 6d for the sheep and the steamer aboiit 13s 6d for the freight. It must be borne in mind that this was a special consignment, no doubt selected with unusual care, and the shipment was conducted under the most favourable circumstances.' Even with these advantages the result did not net the shipper a satisfactory price, and the freight caiile to Is 6d per head less than theirate .which the ship owner considers is necessary to make the carriage of live sheep possible. It may be that if the business were established on a regular basis some economies could be effected in regard to fittings and the storing of the fodder, and so enable the sheep to be carried at less than 15s per head. Probably also if special steamers were employed sheep might be carried at a less freight than is possible under existing circumstances, and still leave a reasonable profit for the owners of the vessel, but, of course, this at the present stage is mere surmise. The whole matter, however, is well worthy of serious consideration by the New Zealand farmers. We have taken pains to secure and place before them the most full and trustworthy information on the subject, and it is for them now to give it their best attention with a view to seeing what prospects it offers for them in the future. At any rate the result of the practical test we have just described shows that the trade is within measurable distance of being carried out profitably, as the shipowner only seeks eignteenpenee a head more freight, and an additional eighteenpenee would probably satisfy New Zealand shippers. It is therefore evident that if economies to the extent of 8s to 53 per head of the charges could be made a regular trade would be commenced forthwith. For ourselves we are inclined to think shipowners could rebate Is 6d per head on the freight, and another Tβ 6d per head could be saved in the cost of the fodder, and sale" expenses in England.