THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10270, 13 February 1899, Page 5

THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

OUR AUSTRALL.N COiIPETITORS. INTERVIEW WITH MR R. E. N. TWOPENY. (By Ocr Special Reporter.) Mr R. E. N. Twopeny, proprietor and editor of the "Australasian Pa_toralists* Review," Avho is now on a visit to Christchurch, has, during the last few years, paid considerable attention to the deA-elopment of the frozen meat trade, and in connection i thereAvith recently made a special visit to England. During the course of an inter- ! vieAv he gave one of our representatives his views upon various matters connected with the trade, and also some particulars concerning agricultural and pastoral matters in the Australian Colonies. "The Australasian Produce Committee which was appointed in London, was, as you know," explained Mr TAvopeny, "disbanded, owing to the combination of freezing companies in Australia that formed the Association, in Avhose int-rests I went to England, haA-ing broken up. There has, however, been this outcome from the formation of | that committee —Lloyd's Register in London have undertaken the survey of all A'essels en- ! gaged in the frozen meat trade. This idea, 1 have recently learnt, originated Avith Mr F. Waymouth, of the Canterbury Frozen i Meat Company, but was the outcome of the Australasian Produce Committee's Conference Arith the shipoAvners and insurance companies. All vessels leaving London noAV obtain Lloyd's Register's certificate that they are properly insulated and fitted Avith efficient refrigerating appliances. I enquired into the question of the distribution of frozen meat in England, and I satisfied myself that it Avas much more thorough than people in the colonies had any idea of. The map recently published by the Colonial Consignment and Distributing Company confirmed my report in this respect. I never went into a single place in England Avhere there were not shops for the sale of frozen meat, in most cases dealing entirely in this article." "Have not some further steps been taken by those interested in the frozen meat trade in New South Wales to effect improvements at the other end?" "Since the collapse of the Australian Frozen Meat Association, a local Association has been formed in Sydney of the four freezing companies there, and that Association sent Mr C. C. Tayloe Home to enquire principally into the question of condemned cargoes and insurance. Mr Tayloe has induced many of the steamship companies to consent to the discharge of meat being subject to the same system of inspection that his association had successfully established in Sydney. He has also' stirred upthe London Insurance offices on the unfairness of placing all Australian frozen meat risks on the same level of rates, and of laying down arbitrary conditions in their policies. The organisation of which Mr Tayloe has laid the foundation should also assist to overcome the difficulty of bringing all ohe steamers up to the point of supplying proper protection in discharge; of insuring the prompt dispatch of lighters, and the proper insulation and careful management of stores." "Do you think it necessary to have an Australasian organisation in London to wat'sh the interests of colonial shippers of frozen meat?" "Such an organisation would be very desirable," said Mr Twopeny, "but it is, uh fortunately, not practicable', as there are so many interests involved. I think in time matters Avill gradually improve, for it must be remembered that enormous masses of meat have been thrown upon the Home market in a comparatively short space of time The discharge of vessels, and the handling of meat between the ship and the market has often been careless, but it is improving, and will doubtless be further improved if Mr Tayloe's system of inspection by competent engineers is carried out. Mr Mackenzie has done good Avork by shoAving the insurance companies in detail where the faults lay, and it i s by persistently hammering aAvay like this that these matters.will be remedied." Mr Twopeny was. then asked what he thought of the proposal to open shops at Home specially for the sale of colonial frozen meat? "What I think about these coloniallyowned shops in London," he replied, "is that they will not pay directly, except under very exceptional circumstances, but they may be made to pay indirectly. In a place where the trade is not well conducted, it might be well to op#n a shop, run it say for six months, and then sell out. It is best to allow the trade to run through the ordinary channels as far as possible, for there ar_ many o.iucultios in the. way of managing these shops. Personal supervision is required to ensure success, and the trade must be conducted in such a way as not to bring it into conflict with the existing butchers." The effects of the drought in Australia so far as the frozen meat trade was concerned were alluded to. .Mr Twopeny said the Australian trade had been very heavily handicapped during the past few years, and the shipments from Australia fell off slightly in 1898, but not so very much. "The tendeucy," he said, "is in the direction of paying still more attention to the breeding of merino sheep. Our sheep breeders are recognising that they went in too much for crossbreds, and tlie drought has shown that the localities where crossbred sheep can be profitably kept are nob so extensive as was once thought. It appears to us that the River Plate pastoralists are going to be keener competitors of New Zealand in the frozen meat trade than of Australia, as the bulk of our mutton goes into different channels from yours. The immense sums c«f money spent by Argentine breeders in procuring the best classes of stock from the United Kingdom must have the effect of greatly improving their meat. There is no doubt that in the production of merino wool Australia is before any other country in the world, and if it comes to a question of the survival of the fittest, she will survive in avool groAving, just as New Zealand will survive in the production of meat. The drought, has broken up on. the 'Darling Downs, and in parts of New South Wales, and one of its effects has been to cause settlers to go in for planting lucerne and permanent grasses, and water is being stored up, so that each drought is less severely ielt, owing to the precautions taken against them. The system of artesian wells has opened up an entirely new area of country in Queensland, and there is room for a great development of this system. The history of the colonies show that they make very ranid recovery, and the reports of droughts are frequently exaggerated. Pastoral pursuits are. however, more speculative in Australia than in New Zealand, and if there are bigger losses there are also bigger profits. There has been a considerable development of agriculture on the Darling Downs in Queensland, and also throughout New South Wales, and I think the importation into the latter colony of wheat or flour from New-ZeaJand is at an end. New South Wales has suddenly blossomed out as a producer of wheat. Both on the Darling DoAvns and in Victoria there has been considerable cutting tin of large estates voluntarily, and in Western Victoria fully two dozen must have been subdivided during the last year for dairying purposes. The land meets A\ith a ready demand, and is mostly sold on easy terms »of credit, while several other estates have been leased in farms. A number of Victorian farmers have been attracted to the Riverina, where wheat land is leased on the halves and thirds system, -and. this plan is also being applied in Victoria. There has bean a large increase in the output of dairy produce from Australia this year, and so much land has been cut up for dairying of late that there will be an enormous increase in the export this year and next year, much larger than people have any idea of." "Do you think, Mr Twopeny, that if Australia federates she will give New Zealand special concessions by treaty?" "I don't think that Australia will listen for a momant to such aa idea if Nsw Zto» ■■-■-.-

land stands out of the Federal movement. New Zealanders must be the best judge of their oAvn interests, but as an old New Zealander it seems to mc no colony has so much to gain by federation as NeAv Zealand. You have a c'.imate so different from ours, and enjoy special advantages for becoming the leading spirit in the federation. It is true that other colonies are more populous, but look at the importance Scotland has gained in the development of British colonisation. That appears to mc the true analogy." "Are there still any labour difficulties in Australia in regard to shearing/ '"There ore occasional disputes of a minor character, but closer settlement is the cure for these labour troubles. In Queensland the ! country is sparsely settled, and the shearers | are almost entirely of a nomadic character. j Victoria, being more closely settled, lias none ,of these shearing troubles, as there is a ( better feeling between the large pastoralists j and til? small settlers, who do the bulk of | tlie shearing. The strikes in the past have j done good, as both sides have learned something. The Pastoralists' Associations have also been very be.k_fic.al in bringing the f pastoralists into better touch Avith the men. 1 One of the worst enemies the pastoralists 1 have had has been the bad employer, and the : result of combination has been to bring the ; latter more into line, and to raise the j general standard of comfort and care for the men."