The Press. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25.1909. FROZEN MEAT IN 1908.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13358, 25 February 1909, Page 6

The Press. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25.1909. FROZEN MEAT IN 1908.

The unfortunate, conditions of tradethat have obtained at. Homo of lato give an additional interest to Messrs W. Weddel and Co.'s annual review o_ the frozen meat trade rlurir_ last year. Tho value ot imports of fresh meat into the United Kingdom., it. may be noted, showed a slight increase, but this was due to- a marked reduction in tho volume of ir-enfc imports. North America, to the scarcity ami denrncas of stock, exporting 80,000 tons of meat loss than, in the prewious year, while Now Zealand's export dropped, by 15,.>ti> tons, and Australia's by 11,75> tons. South America wns tho only meat-exporting country that increased its output, which it did to tho amount

o_ T-raciTcally G0..000 tons. Po much has been heard alwit tho influence of tho American. .I-'-.-ir. Trust in- the United Kingdom thnt it is interesting to h'sri!. that of the lj_G,ooo torts of n.eat imported fur British consumption 1-j7,000 ions v.--is sent from tho I'nited S: atcs, ivh ile if th* Argentino compaities t'l.it hnvo pn.>s-:d into Arrericin bar.da arc included. 2.'i".000 Urns of meat —:iiore< than or.'-.-third of the ivholo Ilritish i:r : ix*ri:ition —wi re ••xporf-l to Ui-it.-j.in i>y "iir.f ;\nuor five Arn-.T.'-'aiL !':r:i:_. .Snuibf:- !d ;thsor?>s annually s-une 3'Z'-i,2-~0 ten*-, er nt-arly -'.) )>.-r cvnt. of il.i iia:ii.;:'s i'-..n.-;:ri;ptiou J and thatcentre jiraitically controls tlie- prici- cf iinpr-rt'-d UK-at the- country, so iliiii. any ji".v dovcloprni'iits in t1..----<l;nx-'ion of .'--.i:rolling Smithficld ly any _i-f-'.;p -.sf operators is of vilal ir.MK.i-t.mco> to c>]oni:.l pr.xim crs, ;h v.-cl a- Uriti-h innii'-ri. Tim \V.-.t of England trade- has apparently notdr-vol-opc-d much during tho year. Tliwo was a few additional -diirimc-ui-- from Australia, but from New Zealand thero ■was soma redaction: in direct ship-TiH'iit-s, and t'r.o prop<.>rtion of South Aineric;UL in(*it sent to Tiivcrpool ar.d' tho smallor ports iv.'is haroly maint.-iiii-cd. Tho fiiliing-ofl in Xtw Zealand ox-p-'vrts of frozen meat la.st year will !.ir-;-Iy account for cur net being- al>!i> to niaininiu tho -iviih th.o West, of England, tio far -is outsico inarl-ota aro concornccl, South Africa a_:ain s-howed a docrc-i-dns oons-uniption, tho impc-d-s front Australia and tho Ar'jr.'iu.ino boinc; only 7,77" tons, as compared ivith _0,(;97 tons in 11)07. Tho volume of business transacted) between. I Australia, .and Mcditcrrnnoa.n ports, the. j Philipphi <-.-*, an_ Vladivxiertock tvas practically -maintained. Xo nciv foreignmnrkefc of any imiwrtanco was openrvl for frozen meat, but it is (anticipated: that there. -wDi bo an increased' trad. in Australian, frozen meat -with "Ep-jpfc for tho Army. Tho important points in xcßard to supplies aro that; in IOOS tho arrivals of Australian mutton and' lamb -wore smaller by Cofi,oSo carca_es, iind'oF A'eiv Zealand by 503,209 carcases, "tvhilr, ifrom South America an increase. of 570,785 carca?«s i. record , ed , . South America shoived an, increase of 150 per cent, in lamb, tho exports amount.ing to 195,8!)_ carcases, and', cs -wo bare learned by cable, heavy shipments havo been mado ->incei tho beginninsr of tho current year. Regarding the quality of New Zealand meat, it is noted -that Southland sheep wero usually -only £d per db below Canter-bm-j-'K, ami on few occasions did tho difference- between tho best Yv'ellington _nd Canterbury sheep amount to more than A farthing per lb. Tho approximation of prices for all grades of Xew Zealand lambs to those ruling for the best Canterbury lambs was even more notoworthy. Tho explanation is said |to bo found in tho fact that provincial retailers wero unable to mako any profit on "Xew Zealand Lamb _t the high | rates established by tho iSmitldield market, and they hit upon tho expedient of using largo quantities of tho lowor grades, obtainablo at „ slightly less cost. Primo Carttorbury lamb stood at -a. fairjy high and unusually even level of prices throughout tho year, the only exception being in tho caso of 421b to 501b carcases, which in tho-early months coimnanded exceptionally high prices, owing to tho scarcity of English mutton, but from tho ond of September wero rendered practically unsaleable by tho keen competition from Dutch lambs. The groivth of tho frozen meat industry ;'a ofto.-i described as ono of the romances of trade. This aspect of its development is emphasised by tho .little, comparative table publishetl by (Messrs WcddeJ, showing tho progress that it has mado between ISSS and 1908. In. the twenty years tho number of ships engaged ia the trade lias risen from 50 to 190, nnd their capacity has increased from slightly less than a million to twelvo and three-quarter million carcases. Twenty years ago only 2J per cent, of t'ho meat consumed in the United Kingdom -was imported in a frozen state; last year the proportion was 20 per cent. Tlie industry has created a new class of consumers, by placing at their disposal enormous supplies of good, cheap meat, and sine.-- 18S3 the consumption of meat per hearl of tho population has increased by no less thaTt 20 per cent..