THE MEAT TRADE.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13610, 20 December 1909, Page 7

THE MEAT TRADE.

AN INTERESTING ADDRESS

At the annual meeting of the Gear Meat Company at Wellington, Mr Millward, the general manager, said his trip Home had been a very enjoyable one, and his health was quite restored. In London (reports the "Dominion") he had several pieces of important business to attend to, which, with the help of Mr Bell (a director), were carried, through successfully. Hβ -visited the company's principal clients, and' it would be gratifying to the shareholders to learn that they had nothing but praise for the company's (products, andi the honest way in which the grading was conducted. In regard to the subject of the meat market, referred to by Mr Burns, it was a subject that -one could talk on for a week. Briefly, he could 6ay, that when he was in London there wa*» a very great glut. All parts of the worlo. eeemeti , to have heavy supplies of both mutton und lamb to market, in addition to an enormous increase from New Zealand—nearly a million lambs and a million sheep in about seven months —a large increase from Argentina, and a very large increase from Australia. British local supplies were also largely increased, amounting in one period to two miliicai carcases more than on any previous occasion. Holland, in addition to sending large quantities of prime veal and pork, shi(pp«l 1,600,000 carcases of mutton. The fact that Great Britain received these enormous supplies of meat from all corners of the world;—from Iceland to Patagonia, end even Terra "del Fuego—proved that the American Beef Trust, which was so much feared, could never corner the supplies of Britain. The trust certainly had very great organisations in England, and. had gone to Argentina and bought several works there. But companies having established a largo trade in North American beef: and finding these supplies failing, would naturally 6eek other sources of supply, and they Lad, therefore, come down to Argentina. He was sure the development of Argentina would occupy them for very many years. But their energy and the enormous capital they were arranging was undoubtedly going to develop Argentina, and the supplies of meat from that country would of course increase. During his visit in England General Botha was on the market, saying that South Africa had 25 million sheep, and was desirous of entering the frozen meat industry. Unfortunately for South Africa, they struck the market at a bad time, and nobody would touch their meat. It was a disadvantage that all the big sources of supply were in the Southern Hemisphere, where the season of summer came at the same time of the year. That made it difficult to regulate supplies. In fact the question of regulating supplies was a very great, but a very intricate one. When he was in England he suggested a meeting to endeavour to fix a minimum price at which meat should be sold. The meeting was largely attended—he was himself too unwell to attend—but the American and Argentine people declined to take part, and consequently it was impossible for the others to hold the prices for any length of time. When in Australia visiting various works, he saw some wonderfully good fat sheep and Jambs. Australia, with her 100 million sheop, was only exporting about two million lambs, so that there wa-s room for great expansion there. He was on the market continually during the time he was in London,' and found it so fascinating that it was difficult to leave it. Hβ got a lot of information there which he oelieved would be very useful to the company. Mr Millward concluded by remarking that he only arrived back on the previous evening, and had not yet got his luggage all attended to. But he was in time to wish them all a merry Christmas.