OUR FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14290, 28 February 1912, Page 3

OUR FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER.

MEAT MARKET TENDENCIES

REVIEW OF REVIEWS

(FROM Orit SrKCIAL CORRESrONI>EVT.) LONDON, January 19.

Thero has been no causo for dissatisfaction with the trend of things in the frozen meat market during tho first fortnight of the New Year. It had been thought that prices might reeedo a trifle for a while, but this has not occurred, and with very fair supplies coming on to the market, prices have been well maintained all round, and, in the case of-bettor qualities of lambs, strengthened somewhat. Up to mid-month Australian arrivals havo been uncommonly close to thoso of this timo last year, but they havo stood tho market better, although f.a.q.'s aro well in the majority and naturally, not so stroiis sellers. Tho early Now Zealand ''new seasons" so far offered have not met a very strong market, offers as low as 5Jd being made, but one is always on tho look out for such vagaries at this timo of tho year. Their quality is very fair; last year, I remember, somo very plain lambs camo to hand. Old season s Canterbury's have practically disappeared, as is* also the case with mutton ; primo North Islands havo made .1 very linn market lately. Beef, frozen and chilled, has been decidedly more healthy in tone, owing plainly to a moro moderate rango of supplies. As a matter of fact, thoro has b6on no Australasian beef to bo had, but frozen prices will surely bo found to be consistently higher now that agreement has been made to avoid glutting with chilled. SOilE LESSONS OP 1911. I must confess that 1 liavo hardly gauged yet tho full importanco of tinannual reviews published concerning tho frozen meat trade, because judging from their message, 1911 was such a remarkable year, not in figures but in developments and under-current**,, that ono feels one needs timo to digest properly tho.lessons of tho year. It is clear on aU sides that although, as I said, tho grand totals for 1911 wero not extraordinary, thero is tho greatest significance iv what one might call a shifting of tho incidenco of supplies. Both Messrs W. Weddel and Co. and the C.C. and D. Co. remark upon the falling off from New Zealand, tho former authority going so far as to say that "it would almost appear as if "that source of supply had reached its limit of production under present conditions, except for lambs." Tlio latter company puts down tho unsatisfactory naturo of returns in tho case of New Zealand meat to irregularity of supplies, and points out that in tho first half, of the year 1,1K5,138 carcases of mutton arrived, and in the second half 680,600 carcases. Tho year's total was a drop of 10 per cent, on 1910, and it is borno in mind that this sort of thing has been going on more or less for several years past. But so has the popularity of mutton, one might almost say, and the decrease of nearly a million carcases in imports from Australasia on tho year was not anything like mado up by the "'ess, than a quarter million increase from South America. Such as it was it was a lamb year, but hero again Australia with her consignment' of 1,650,231 carcases, rose 133,571 and New Zealand with her 3,427,236. only 10,877. Argentine with her 890..000 carcaso export, jumped up no less than 150 per cent, on tho year, and Australia is warned that she must look closely to her breeding. For c.i.f. "buyers it was in some ways an unsatisfactory year. The paucity of dealings owing to tho high rates demanded by New Zealand shippers is noted; tho C.C. and IX Company adds:—"The lesson was not forgotten", and* dealings for tho coming season have been, so far, on a very limited scale. ■RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT. Thero is little to be learnt from the experience of. frozen beef; it was simply a year in which frozen beef toed the lino to the chilled flood. Now that tliis maddening glut is obviated by agreement of tho South American exporters, British and Yankee—by the way, what can be the reason for none of tho reviows alluding to this widelyknown compact —-frozen beef shippers will be expanding their operations. Let 115 hope there will be no causo for Weddel's report for 1912 to contain an allusion similar to that it makes concerning New Zealand beef in 1911 :— "Tho general quality of the beef was not quite up to tho high standard that should be shipped from New Zealand. In fact, amongst the lowest grades, including cow and bull beef, fairly largo consignments came forward which ought never to have left the Dominion, being practically only suitable (for canning 1 purposes.' By the way, I note in the C.C. aud D. Company's review the statement that the Nelson-Dicks-Tyser chilling process, by which a first shipment was successfully made per the Muritai, is too expensive to be proceeded with. The same company seems to think it useless to embark on chilled beef from tho Antipodes until the voyage can be shortened and the regularity of supplies can be assured. This is certainly true on tho basis of past markets, but if frozen beef can be worked to a better permanent level in the future, there should be; a fair chance, I should think, for chilled New Zealand or Australian beef. It is evident that the provincial ports of Great Britain have mado some, if not much, headway; "Weddel puts the increase to Liverpool, Avonmouth, Cardiff and Glasgow at 494,285 mutton and lamb carcases and 143,105 beef quarters over 1910. The C.C. and D. Company in this connection notes that Canterbury brands are less dependent upon the London market than North Islands, and that their periodic shortage at Smithfield indicated adequate distribution, 'which possibly tends to greater steadiness of results*" Although 1911 promised much of foreign market development, it is a thin story. With the New Year Switzerland has, I note, reduced her meat import duty from 25 to 10 frs. per 100 kilos, and all our eyes.,of course, are fixed on Germany to see what the successful Socialists will do. , It is impossible for any reviewer to be very illuminative of tho future, for the prophet's mantle is a dangerous garment. A good year is expected, prodded consumptive demand i.s not disturbed by labour troubles— we have tho cotton and almost tho coal dispute so far, and the transport workers are still inclined to bo fidgety. Weddel 6ays:—''As there is no prospect of any increase in supplies from homo flocks and herds, nor much likelihood of large increases from Australia or New Zealand, the hopes °f British consumers would appear to lie entirely with the South African grower." Every New Zealander'*-) hone will be that new markets may bo found to absorb this likely competition.