OUR FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14314, 27 March 1912, Page 6

OUR FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER.

MARKET PROSPECTS,

INSURANCE PROBLEMS

(FEOU OUE SPECIAL COtHIESrOXHENT.) ! LONDON. February 16. i New Zealand meat is all too scarce in the Home market just now. At the moment there is awaiting discharge the meat from three steamers ■ conveying some important early parcels from Now Zealand, the Pakcba, Coeinthic. and Maiere, which, between them, hold 85,000 carcases of New Zealand mutton and 1*2(5.000 lambs. - General trade in moat here must.be called dull, and with a quiet market it is only light shipments which have kept prices firm. In I tact values have shown a slight weakeuj in-; tendency during the last low days jon bigger arrivals. Canteibury lambs ! ;have been up as high as 6d, and -North j islands o|d to Canterbury mutton I is" not available; Wellington mutton has I been making -lid to 4jd, ou- quite §d above Plate, but it was scarcely, to be hoped that these prices could he maini tamed, and a weaker market has ! caused a tiro? to 3Jd to 4id. As it is, j the position is statistically strong, wit.i I that one 'speculative factor oi wlun ] homo supplies will be later. The coM J stares are not at all full, and clearances iof lamb are quite satisfactory. Reports from New Zealand'as to the late season I arc causing conaiderao.e anxiety, :iun j still more so tho disinclination on ihc I ;»di.t of Now Zealnnders to contract itrI ward at higher prices than .are offered. j Whether the volume of trade can done at.such high rates remains t<; l.c M.'on. Tho position may be assisted, of course, by the scarcity of home stuff, but unless this occurs, New Zealand meat cannot, it is feared, lx? placed at I prices in excess of ocl for lnmbs an-.l ■lid lor. niiiU-on. The Plate still ' continues to shin full cuiaHtjJ.ics.of nr.i:ton. while lier'sliipriicnt.s of.Wmbs. witlr ill*,- exception-of: January, have, during I the Inst idw months., shown regular advance of a year ago. ~ , HA I? BITS: ■Frozen - rabbits•" have been making a very good market lately. New Zealand arrivals during the Hrs-t .six ' woeks «')t this yc'ar..sonif lu,ooo cwts, have shown I a falliug oil of quite 30 per cent. - on 'the i same period of last year,while Australia, j with about the tame consignment, has ■ increased her by, roughly. ."ill i per tent ■■; As a matter of fact, Aus--1 tralian rabbits, have just recently risen I stroiur.y and tnuclunl- the hign-wacvr ! mark of several years past. -Sydney j sr.omls be n' , .:' 20s". a crate .of 24, 'and I New Xealaiuls well at 19s to 21k. ! Tin-so figures are Ir.glily satisfactory, bvit I there is just a dani^n , .' that coritiniu'd I tlearnCvs may kill'the barrow trade, that I i». the iMirchasin.gs.of the , street .*elvrs J who form a. tremendous market in this j commodity. Jr what is said of the Au«----j tr'aliau trade being continually a more I difficult one., owing to- the rabbit being I killed off-in the: Jircn>. bandy districts, ic> true, thrn Australian experts arc likely to suffer, and tho frozen tradf will ~i>o ; likely to keep on-a dearer basis. New i Zealand ex*<artors,--in-vicw of. this, will j not miss the opportunity to keep their i goods to the ioic -and seize the- chance ! tffcred. . • • . - i THEBUTTKR MARKET. ■i Malcontents still; continue their'enmi paign..against dear Uutter,' with vapour- ■ iuys concerning /'ring ,, oJKcatibris and sc forth.'but-tiiv-statistical position' etill bears out current rates.. The demand 'if- anything,' has. increas.cd. and with ! thy drongnc-iri Aiiitraha .and the pros- : p-ct of.ji. stoppage of the export season Horn that quarter .in two or. three weeks*.'time,''there .'.is a gcncd'al: firming tendency,, New Zealand at 132s to 13Is, .showing a '■2& rise.. Cheese, notably. New Zealand, is a. trifle .weaker, but tho milder weather should change this 1 by helping .the demand. • \ — ... ,' DAMAGE ASSESSMENT. '; ' i Several interesting, side lights were ! thrown on' the workings 'of _ the froz.on produce trade- in London i and elsewhere, •in . the , course of the discussion this" week- at •a. meeting of the Cold Storage and Lee Association, of \ a r-jiner on the •"Assessment of Claims on"Refrigerated Produce tmder Contracts," read by Mr K. W. Elmslie, a, prominent average adjuster. Tho ipaper was lVriltcn with a view i'to suggesting the .■'desirability of establishing some scheme of arbitration.fot the settlement of disputes on damage claims,'as is the custom in the .corn, rice, and other trades. Tho idea would be to set up some authority for fixing Tallies and allowances, and to.'determine the nature and-causa of damage. This , would greatly facilitate in apportioningtho loss in cases where, as is frequently met! with, . a- nortion' is recoverable under the supply contract on account of quality, a jwrtion under policies of insurance, or by way of general average, and a portion against the shipowner. ; POINTS FOR BEPORM. This is a question that would have to bo fought out in many lengthy conferences and over a long period before it ! could-come near a settlement, if-that were, ever ipossible. There arc interests in the way, and' possibly-thero are not a few in, the trade who may think that such a change might be" a revolution not to their advantage. But what would ! make smoother .'working of the wheels of trade must benefit all and sundry in the.long run. In the discussion, MiGilbert Anderson laid stress on the unsatisfactory principle, of ascertaining damage by 10 f&r centi examination, and also to the iniquity of the chargesaveraging 5s 7d pox ton- —for unpiling . and.showing carcases for/.this examiriation. ■ It was such-things as this which sent up the premiums. Surveyors, he said, ought to bo under the control of . an association, and they should be paid i a fixed fee for their work and not only I get a fee for their work if they found damage. The, president of the Association, Mr C. E. Brightman, a shipowner, ■ promised to put heforo Lloyds' underl writers, some facts in support of their making a differential rate of insurance according to the excellence of conditions at various freezing works. PORT OF LONDON. Although the Port of London Authority has not y,et issued its decision as to what scheme of extra cold storage provision it .will proceed with, I understand it is pretty certain that a cold store will be erected in the north-west cornea , of the Royal Albert Dock, with a sorting shed in that quarter and ample room, of course, for any amount of further accommodation, should tho demand warrant it. The store to be erected will, I believe, prohably exceed a quarter of a million carcases capacity. This, of course, means the entire throwing over of the South West India Dock scheme,: an. idea impracticable from the first because it could not ,* have been finished in less than fiv.e years, and for other reasons. The trade is, also anxiously awaiting the Port Authority's answer to. its demand for cheaper cold storage rates, tho Incorporated' Society of Meat . Importers asking for a first month management rate of 18s 10d, instead of 22s 4d. and a sahsequent 4s per.'ton per week, with 15s per ton for the second month. "