OUR MEAT EXPORT TRADE.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12568, 10 August 1906, Page 2

OUR MEAT EXPORT TRADE.

VIEWS OF A NORTH ISLAND AUTHORITY. s (PRESS ASSOCIATION' TELEGRAM.) WELLINGTON, August 9. At the ann-ual meeting of the Wellington Meat Export Company, Mr W. C. Buchanan, who presided, eaid: —"An ; examination of the number of sheep j and lambs exported from the North and South Islands respectively, in their relation to the sheep stock of each island, discloses some very interesting and euggcetive facts. The total numbers in the South Island do not exceed those in tho -North Island by more than li per cent., and yet the former expoiced more than. 30 per cent, more in weight or mutton and lamb together, for tlit) year ending Juno JJIKh last. A further important feature disclosed by the export returiis for tho same period is that tor ©very 1001b of inuiurn exported fromeacii island, tho South Iβlanu lias marlietfd or iamb, as against only 4oil> ior tno North island, auu a lair estimate of the higher value of lamb being ceituinJy not kte tji.au id per lb, it toliows that the south island gained a gross advantage ox over ia-uJ,uOU, as compared to the North Island. from tnis, however, has to bo deducted the additional exiien&o of growing artificial food tor a certain proportion ot tho lambs, but atter making all reasonable allowance on this h*ad, thero can be 1:0 doubt that a very substantial advant-ago remains to tho oreuit ot our southern, friends. It is well ako to put en record t!iat the facts 1 have mentioned, relating to the year just past, are ia -no way exceptional, the bouth Island having exported an average of i) 4 lb of lamb for every 1001b ot mutton, for the laet ten years, as against only 20Jlb from the North Is.ana, while thy total weight ot mutton and lamb exportod in proportion to sheep stock was only 26 per cent, in favour of the South Island tor the same period. Tne ■ question, will, of course, be aidii>d, why should the South Island bo able to get so much better results, both as to quality and quantity, than tho North Island? In the first place, a good many ewes and a few wethers wore shipped some time ago from the North to the ckjuth island, but the answer in the main undoubtedly is that they havy a much larger proportion of cultivable land, especially in Canterbury, of a quality well suited to produce turnip, rapo, and other artilicial i'cod to ratten their sheep at an early age. It is never- " theless a fact scarcely opou, to question that 'in many localities of tho North Island, possessing similar advantages in regard to cultivable laJid, tho settlers have- been very tardy of availing themselves of their obvious advantages. "In regard to frozen meat, New Zealand has, until quite recently., borne a reputation for quality higher tbam that of any other country, but the unpleasant fact lias beon strongly emphasised of late, by the unquestionable reports from London., that Argentine mutton and Australian lamb have in many instances realised prices equal to New Zealand produce. The Argentine- stock-owners have for many years striven hard to improve the quality of their flocks and herds by tho purchase of pedigree stock from England in large numbers, almost rogardieee of price, and Australia has been pursuing a similar couree by importation, from England and tliis coirnitry. On tho other hand, if the question is asked, what tho New Zealand stook-own<srs are doing to improve tho quality of their meat, the answer is to bo found in. repeated complaints from London that a groat many of the carcases Bent are so largo and over fat as to l>o quite unsuitable for tho market. New Zealand, cannot afford to follow such a course, because the quantities of meat supplied to Great I3ritain by other countries, not only of mutton and lamb, but also of beef, have been on such an increasing scale, that prices have been forced down, to a comparatively low level. It follows, therefore,/that the high price of Wool is tho sole factor by which the farmer is enabled at the present time to pocket such satisfactory prices for his sheep."