The Frozen Meat Trade,

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16214, 17 May 1918, Page 6

The Frozen Meat Trade,

In their annual review of the frozen meat trade, Messrs "W. Weddel and Co. point out that more or lesss control of ajl classes of meat by Government Departments has been gradually substituted for individual trading. , There were no "free'' markets for imported meats during - the greater part of the past year. The fixing of maximum prices—both wholesale and retail —tended to make distribution largely a mattter of accountancy in many cases, although the methods adopted by the Government, it is stated, involved more labour than formerly, not less. Australian and New Zealand beef was entirely absent from the market, while mutton and lamb from both these sources were sold throughout at the same maximum prices. Patagonian sheep and lambs also; wore strictly controlled in price. The "free" meats which were marketed comprised the civilian imports from the Argentine Republic and Uruguay (consisting of chilled beef, frozen mutton and lamb), also limited quantities of U.S.A., Canadian, South African, and Brazilian frozen beef, but these also were all subjected to the maximum price orders. On the average prices wore again higher than in the preceding year; not so much because supplies wore less than usual as because consumption on the part of the classes on ruing high wages was beyond the normal. The average of quotations over tho whole year was 24 per cent, higher than in 1916, despite the action of successive Ministers of Food in fixing maximum prices at levels lower than would have been arrived at on a free market. These certainly checked the advancing tendency, whatever other leps satisfactory results may be ascribed to the adoption of that policy. The quantities imported of each • description were not known exactly, but in the aggregate they were about 550,000 tons ,(or 3 per cent, more than in 1916). They compared with 533,811 tons in 1916, G62,925 tons in 1915, and 694,427 tons in 1914. The world's export output of frozen and chilled beef, mutton, and lamb in 1917 was estimated at 965,000 tons, as against 915,380 tons in 1916, 881,075 tons in 1915, and 800,375 tons in 1914 —a steady rate of expansion which must ,be considered very satisfactory, under war conditions. iTrom these yearly totals about tons, 281j5(30 tons, 218,150 tons, and 105,948 tons respectively were diverted to markets other than the United Kingdom. Although prices have gono on increasing,- Messrs Weddel and Co. deny that thero is now any profiteering by individuals or private concerns in connexion with meats imported into the United Kingdom. A largo proportion of the world's-output now being handled by tho .British Government, the great bulk of siny surplus realised or economics effected goes directly into the Nationnl Exchequer. Naturally the cost of operating through official channels excecds tho scale of ordinary commercial charges; but, nevertheless, the financial gain to the country ought to be considerable ftn tho other hand, there will he no income-tax or excess profits tax to be collected, from many of tho traders who would have handled the meat under normal conditions. Regarding the immediate future, Messrs Weddel and Co. say that tho meat export trade of the world appears to have settled down, upder war condition*, to a volnmc-r of business somewhat in excess of the 1913 aggregate; and although it runs into many new channels, there is still a very large

mass of imports Teaching the United Kingdom. Moreover, there are good grounds to anticipate a continuance of this state of affairs, provided the submarine menace becomes no worse than hitherto.