CANTERBURY LAMB.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19852, 13 February 1930, Page 12

CANTERBURY LAMB.

WHAT THE LONDON MARKET WANTS.

WARNING BY MR D. W. WESTENRA. At the meeting of the committee of the Canterbury A. .and P. Association m Christcliurch yesterday, Mr D. W. Westenra, who recently returned from a visit to England, had something to say concerning visits which he had paid to Smithfield Market and to enquiries which he had made in different parts of England concerning Canterbury lamb. Mr Westenra said that he was himself a breeder of Corriedales, and 111 what he had to say lie could not be accused of bias in favour of that breed.. On arriving in London he had made it his business to visit Smithfield Market, Mr Robert Forsyth, manager _ol the New Zealand Meat Board, showing him round. He had spoken to a number of butchers and stall-holdeis, and had paid several visits to femittifield. The more he had gone there the more his interest in the market had grown. When the market people got to know that he came from Canterbury they s,aid to him: "What has happened to the Canterbury lamb?" And they added that it was not what it used to be. He was greatly surprised to hear this, and enquired what was the matter. He was told that Canterbury lamb was now being bred on wrong lines, and that it would have to bo bred differently. They objected to the Corriedale as haying too long a shank, and lacking in taste. On examining Argentine and a majority of the Canterbury carcases he had failed to discover any difference between them; Argentine could get its meat 011 to the London market in less time and at a lower cost than Canterbury could do. The shank of the Canterbury lamb, was too long, and people did not like it for that reason, coupled with the fact that it was lacking in flavour. He had seen butchers cutting small shoulders in half, and on asking the reason for this he had been told that they had to do this in order to sell it. They wanted a carcase with a short leg and nuggety, and one which tasted well. The less rape a lamb got the better it tasted, and their aim should be to get as many fat lambs off the mothers as possible. Mr Lee, a butcher, who had been buying Canterbury lamb and mutton for 30 years, and Argentine beef, had told him that to-dav he buys Southland and North Island lamb, his objection to Canterbury lamb being that it is too long in the shank and lacks flavour. He condemned the Corriedale lamb as being unsuited to the Smithfield Market. Mr Westenra said tho question that Canterbury farmers now had to ask themselves was what they were going to do in this matter. They must produce a better carcase; and as a result of talks which he had had with a number of butchers ho was satisfied that what they wanted was a lamb of tho Southdown cross. This was the cry all over England, and he had found the same opinion expressed in Wales. The Argentine was looking upon New Zealand with a jealous eye, and was increasing its export of lamb enormously. Prom 1913 to 1923 it had increased its export by 1,555,517 carcases, and between 1923 and 1928 the increase was 1,190,263 carcases. They had a good lot of breeding ewes' in the Argentine now, and they were going to use the Southdown ram. Tho Argentine was going to hit New Zealand hard unless the latter produced a better carcase. Africa, Russia, and Australia were also going in for the Southdown cross. It was agreed on all hands that New Zealand could produce the best lamb in the world so long as the breeding was right. Ho had seen a splendid lino of Southdown-Romney cross lambs on the Smithfield Market which had come from the Waikato. Smithfield did not want a lot of heavy carcases; the Argentine was out to give it what it wanted, and if Canterbury did not do so it would bo "left." He knew it was a hard thing to ask farmers to change but this would have to bo done. It would be for individual farmers to decide what cross would suit their country best. There was no reason, so far as he could see, why the Ryeland or tho English Leicester should not produce a suitable carcase if mated with the right kind of ewe. A strong-woolled Corriedale ewe was suitable for breeding fat lambs on tho plains.

Meat Exporting Companies. Mr Westenra also uttered a warning to farmers in regard to their support of overseas meat exporting companies, pointing out that if they continued to give support to these, instead of supporting their owrf companies, they would find that before very long they would be at the mercy of the overseas companies, who would give them what they liked for their stock. In ten years the overseas companies had increased their business in New Zealand from 10 to 40 per cent. This represented 2,000,000 carcases. They knew what the amalgamation of breweries had done for barley growers; and farmers should look to the future and support their own meat works. Mr W. J. Jenkins said that he had been in London recently, and could support all that Mr Westenra had said. He proposed that Mr Westenra bo accorded the best thanks of the Association for the valuable information' which he had given them. The motion was carried unanimously. COMMONWEALTH BANK. MORE SUPPORT FOR INDUSTRY WANTED. (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION— BIT ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH—COPYBIGHT.) MELBOURNE, February 12. A deputation from the Federal and Stat© Labour organisations asked the Federal Attorney-General, the Hon. F. Brennan, to amend the Commonwealth Bank Act to enable the bank to enter more actively into competition with other banks to permit more liberal support of primary industries and the development of reproductive works. Mr Brennan indicated that the Government was in agreement with the request. He said that the matter would come before Cabinet

OIL. EAST COAST OPERATIONS. (PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) GISBORNE, February 11. Taranaki Oilfields, Ltd., report as follows : Gisborne No. 2 well, underreaming shutting off water. Underreamer run to 3778 feet, drilled to 3850 feet in limey shale, and some green sand, niost'y hard, but some caving in at 3800 feet, which was mudded off. Gas is Btill showing strongly. BLENHEIM WELL. (press association telegram.) NEW PLYMOUTH, February 12. The Blenheim oil well has been bored to 1765 ft. The formation is sandy claystonc and sandstone, interspersed with bands of