CURRENT MEAT MARKET.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14903, 17 February 1914, Page 8

CURRENT MEAT MARKET.

CHILLED TRANSPORT PROBLEM

(from ocb srEcr.__ correspondent.)

LONDON, January 9.

Only one parcel of New Zealand newseason's lamb has appeared on the market so far, and that of a quality and condition not calling for comment. It remains to say that tne market is exceedingly firm, with Australian mutton of quite medium quality at 4jd, and a iree sale, and Australian iamb up to old. Australian meat is ''having the time of its hie," as an IrisJimaii would say. With . .Plate sheep and lamb scaice and New Zealand meat off the market, there is-no-thing to take their places save Australian, and so it lias come into its own — ana someOoay else s. 'Int.. is not because it appro-cues either -New Zealand or Plate meat in quality, but merely because it is on tiie spot. The greatest enquiry is, of course, lor light iambs; a smail Australian lamb of quite second-class quality will make -iv on "-•nitiiiield me.ely bc-ause it is small, where a heavier carcase of better quality will only fetch od. Mutton is so snort that buyers for the moment are not particular as to quality. The Christmas trade was a very animated one, Smithfield presenting a very lively appearance, and being promptly cleared of the 5000 ton_ of meat put on it on tho.-2nd ult. As usual, tho admiration of all and sundry was compelled by the wonderful prize meat sent to Smithfield from the Buenos Ayres fat stock show by Swifts and Armours, 'i'nere were close on a thousand quarters of beef and sheep and lamb carcases in all, and the whole lot, except here and there a piece too fat "for human nature's daily food," was simply perfect both in quality and dressing. It was American methods again; by the way, ono of the beasts had cost Swift's just .on £400, and several others had run well into three figure.., but tho ad-vert.--._men., they evidently considered. •was weli worth the cost. The beef market lias again been visited with abnormal pitch ings of chilled from Argentina, the weekly arrivals last month not falling far short of 100,000 a week right through, as the total cliilled landings for the month were 320,000 quarters. -Frozen beef actually kept its price up against the chilled article, so that the latter has been at times the dearer meat. THE ARGENTINE FACTOR,

The frozen- meat market is intensely interesting just now in what one niigh. call the anticipatory department. Everything points ahead, ana everybody is weighing forward chances each moment of tho day. .Mutton, it is thought, will be well maintained at its high level, while Jambs, which later will not be so short on total as mutton, are expected to he-come a rather cheaper meat, as may beef, if it is to bo harassed from * the Argentine. Sulzberger's, who were to start shipping from .New -.'oar's Day from their newly-acquired Frigorifico Argentino, aro universally believed to be outside tho Trust, and the greatest interest attaches to their tactics in competition with the other Americans. If they tight them in the English market, so much the worse for prices. _ "Weddel's annual review focusses in a'short but striking comparison tho ArgentineAmerican output in its true relation to the rest of the frozen meat producing areas of the world. It states that of tho total shipment to this country last year of __O,CG2- tons of frozen and chilled beef from Argentina, itself 20 per cent, of the total national beef consumption, 192,415 , tons, or over 50 per cent., were shipped by the Ameri-can-owned La Plata and La Blanca works. These two works, in fact, exported considerably moro beef than the total weight of frozen meat shipped either by the whole of Australia or the whole of New Zealand. These facts need pondering. CHILLED BEEF FOR AMERICA.

I was intorested to see that Messrs John- Cooke and Co. had made a shipment of chilled beef from Australia to* San Francisco. Although it wa. caid to have arrived in a fairly satisfactory condition, I do not think it will be repeated. I gather that not only would the freight be too heavy, but the trouble experienced in keeping temperature- exactly right and every condition perfect over that twenty-day voyage was so great, that a bigger trade would be hard to establish. As it was, I believe I am correct in saying that before the ship had finished unloading there were signs of mould on somo of the quarters, though the meat was actually .passed. I think this is fairly sure evidence that it is only the Linley system_-_iat wi.ll get Australia and New Zealand beef successfully into the "United States, and I shall bo very interested to hear what the decision of the United States inspection authorities is with regard to tho admission of the few quarters of beef sent over to New York about a fortnight ago for their'•examination as a trial lot. I hope to hear in a few days' time that the meat ha_ met with a favourable reception, and that the Linley system will be given a tree bill. Its importance in fighting the trust is paramount in its own department, for it permits of a chilled trade from other centres than Argentina. Of course, the Trust wire-pullers were on the alert to try and spoil the chances of thus trial consignment. Their method was tho very insidious one of encouraging the newspaper story that tho attempt was made on behalf of the Trust itself, an event sure to inflame popular indignation. It was added that the meat had been washed in preservative, the falsity of which is patent to anyone knowing anything at all about the Linley process. I fancy, however, that this pretty conspiracy failed, as the inspection authorities approached the Question in an unbiased manner and went into the features of the system fairly and squarely.