FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15939, 28 June 1917, Page 3

FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER.

THE AMERICAN MEAT TRUST

POLICY,

GREAT BRITAIN AND FROZEN MEAT IN THE FUTURE.

{IT.OM OCT. SFECIAL COREESTONDE^T.) LONDON, April 24.

The frozen meat market has been one which has seen a new and important issuo developing sinco my last letterj in fact, it can bo t-aid that tho development is an epoch-making one. I refer to tho decision of tho American Meat Trust Companies to fall into lino with other big industrial movements in the United States and pool their resources on behalf of the Allies' cause. First let mo refer to the present complexion of affairs in tho meat market itself during the past fortnight. Easter trade saw a., renewed demand for lambs, and these being scarco the prico of Plate lambs went up still further until they touched 14d, or 3}d more tha n they were twelve months ago. The Easter trade, however, was not able under the ,n,ew conditions of voluntary rationing observed throughout tho country to clear the great supplies of homo grown meat which was still coming forward, and tho result was that directly after Easter wo had an almost unprecedented glut. Early last week one day saw pi tellings on Smithfield which, according to current demand, could hardly have been cleared in three days. Frozen moat has, of course, been right in. the background owing to scarcity. THE GOVERNMENT AND AMERICAN SUPPLIES. A notlier factor than the. abundance of home meat must be borne in mind in connexion with the present free marketings. It was noticeable to sonic, quite two or three days before the public announcement of the American Trust's decision, that holders of Plate nieat were forcing their stocks on tho market, with the result that buyers were getting decidedly shy The reason for this is well known ' There is a rumour abroad that the British Government has decided to commandeer Plats meat as from tho beginning "of next month, although at the time of mailing I am not able to confirm this rumour. TRUST ACTION.' One word as to tho policy of our American cousins. The announcement which was first luado in the London "Times,under the heading of "American Patriotism," came suddenly, butnot altogether unexpectedly, io tho trade here. It is computed that in the first two and' three-quarter years of the war the Americans have made profits amounting to about £.}0,000.000 out of . the ■ world's• rush, for' meat. Once their country • was ' iu. the fight, it was inconceivable that this Brobdingnagiari "profit-making could go on, but the-meat companies, have certainly. gone , one better i n carrying through, the change ;on their own initiative. ouo expects that the companies will trade at a lqss in their new decision to advocate the passage by American Congress of- legislation Cjving the United States Council of National _ Defence power to 'supervise the distribution. of foodstuffs of all kinds,: and to fix maximum and minimum, prices 'for, them. 'Indeed, Armours last year announced, though few believed it, that their profits had been mado only, out of their by-pro-ducts.. "In'any case the American companies will, Iysuppose, expect to stand right in the inner circle in contractin jr 'arrangements -for .meat;- for the .remainder of tho war, and, tlio British Government ought ccrtainly to' remember that the Trust is overwhelmingly tbo biggest meat concern in the world, and in its new position of vantago must not be given that liberty which will enable it. to seizo. further hold on international industry at. the conclusion of the war. ,

GREAT BRITAIN TO REDUCE HOME : STOCK. The announcement by Mr Prothcro, tho President of tho Board of Agriculturo and Fisheries, last week that, to savo. tonnage in cattle food stuffs all live stock that can' bo reasonably prepared • on- this summer's crops must be xnarkoted before Christmas in Great Britain,' will have a far-reaching effect on the'frozen meat trade in future. It is evident that''Great Britain is now committed for sbmo years to a policy of wheat-growing and, in a highlyorganised war like this, we cannot have wheat arid meat. Thus it'may be assumed that in. the' immediate future frozen meat will be called upon to feed tho larger projxirtion of the masses of our population, including thoso great inuustrial areas which will be spurred to new activities in the future. New Zealaudors should not miss. sight of this fact, as it will loom large in our new pcaco markets.

REFRIGERATING ITEMS. * It is rrniarkablo liow widely refrigeration enters into news of industrial aud other developments at the present time. I wij) give a selection of what one. might' call current refrigerating i.tnis which bear out this point: The British and Argentine Meat Co., Ltd. (the combine of James Nelson's and the River Plate Companies) has Jloated a subsidiary company under the. name of Compsinhia Brp-zileira n Britannica do Carries, with one-fiftli of its capital native and tho remainder British. The Comptroller and Auditor-General for tho British War Office reports that in Egypt under a contract, just now superseded by Army control, .very large payments were made to a firm under an agreement of January 15th for receiving, storing and delivering impressed frozen meat.in that country. It is added that the profits under the agreement we're of a very c.xecssive character. There is a call for more cold stores in South. Africa. It is said that a single cargo will clear out all tho refrigerated beef that the Imperial Cold Storage, <po., the biggost cold store owner, can offer, and the chambers haVo to be rrfilkVi before sufficient for another cargo is available. ■ The refrigerated chopj 'jtcak and small joint distribution, which the AVar Department is carrying out at the Nc.!Hon's Wharf Colt; Stores in London, lent for this purpose by the Colonial Consignment, "ana Distributing Co.> Ltd.. is now serving over 100 hospitals in all parts of "England. Captain Bathurst, the Parliamentary Secretary to thc_ Food Controller, lias said that there is a -probability of all the cold storage accommodation of Great Britain being utilised for storing tho meat which will be killed off at Home in accordance with the orders of the Board of _ Agriculture to save the neon for freight for cattle foods. Cold stores arid ico factories in the United Kingdom have been successful in - obtaining an increase in the standard of assessment for excess profits duty from 6 per cent, to 71 per cent, for public companies, and to 81 per cent. for private traders