FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 96, 16 January 1908, Page 4

FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

PROPOSED CO-OPERATION OF N.Z. COMPANIES}.. ; v -- t '• . i INTERESTING INTERVIEWS. [rnoii oun speciaii cobrespondest!] ( ' ' | . Christchuroh, .'January '15.-,. -- •' . , The scheme now- being put forward by re-' ■ presontatu es of . North ■ Island. frcewng com- fh■ panics for the formation! of. all. association '•to Tvinclude fill New Zealand moat export matitu- ,_.-. , tions, has v been suggested frequently-at dif--v.-forent< times during past years;' Nothing: de- 'J '- '■; ' h°wever, has, been' proposed up-'t6 the >.; presorit time. One of advocates of such a inovoment was tho Hon R M'Nab, 1 "Minister for Lands, who during, a brief ad-, '' '■ drcss .to his fellow-sharebolders in the v South- 1 ' . "■ , . land frozen meat company at Mataura, prophesied .that, a time would cotaevwhen' the' different companies, in" order 'to 'sccuro ' ' gi eater: efficiency and 'economy of "working,--*'' " 5> find•; it■ dccid^lyyad^antageous'to twork-ff £'''.• ?' togethor to an extent that would bo dictated' by tho circumstances of, the trade" at that" . future -'Vi^w :^^^ ■■■ ' A "Press" reporter sought out Mr. G. Good- r ,'' ■'%. a P ar tner'in tho firm of AVed-/.'"'! '-x' dell and Co., English meat,salesmen,,-who been in Now Zealand.enquiring' into tho na»;- -, -. the trade;at 'this , end,: to • ascertain • '' tne.importers' .vi6w : ;of;the'stop' "j >: bo. undertaken. 1 Mr. Good.sir moDtioned thot '.;.',; when ho ,was ,in ,the -.'North; Island, a few';: weeks a.go; tlio question! was being vigorously.';kv •? Canvassed ; ;by representativesof- the - compa-. ,' yv -'i. ■ lues ihere, - and; a - general;meeting-was'to; haval; peeri 'hold 'subsequently, to carry/tholproposiro-;-' . '■ tion a step further. ■, ; ;'.'There is no doubt/' ho said,."but that' 1 . J, an effective would .result benci-« >' ficially jto; thp trade m.New Zenland- . Lx- ;; v-'-tensive Savings' could bev effeotcd .vi-For »na >• •• • - thing, better,: shipping \ arrangements .would i-» -'i be made, and tho present ■ multiplicity., of - agents' at; the other end; might bo obviated, and there are' riiany, other ways which i will . roadily -.suggest- 'themselves in which sayjirigs might rbe; effected, and. improvements -vt. » made in, the, present system. Such a combine,•-■i-iJ-. ■ :<■•■■■. however,;; would' riot "do much" against- the -'"r American MeatjT-rusty-which is operating con-- '. - • 1 sidcrably, to the detriment' of: tno'iNewZea--- ■'■-i ■ land trade at Homo. The AmericanS'.'have■*->. marvel]qus _ faculty • for • organisation« where: i'. {v nioney-making is concerned; and. in-connec-~ .tion with - the English provincial., trade, the price: at which American. beef-may '-bo - sold is. : figidly. fixed every week,--and below that ■ rio jdcaler .may : ' sell. In. London the lino is • : r not .quite so strictly drawn, , although thera - ■ :,is.a general understanding arrived atj daily.• In order;to secure,trade for their-beef, the Americans' buy. 'quantities of''NewvZfealand' mutton and.-lamb, 'and scll 'them at lower'.'- . • prices' than, tlio ordinary, dealers. -A' This,-''OJ-'»>'' !i . course, , injures tho trado-of tho latter: very i- i - ■' considerably.'/! Nor would it be possible - for'».• any. Zealand freezing works' cohibine 1 to a rcfuso to . sell .to the''Amerifcan Trust-; 'Their-v. . answer to the' South American companies in-" v dicato that they simply went-and bought-out' W:' .' 1 - ' the" works, and theymight- just-as easily 'en':» itablish works in New;Zoaland: r -' If''-thej*w4nt-;'-' ! -»'W' New 'Zealand 'mutton and lamb you' t 1 'keep ;it out. of their hands, 'because' there- is" nothing -;to ' prevont them getting > un- r> known agents to >buy it for t-hom. .• .. ! - . The .Trust controls practically -all'. , 'tail shops':iiifAiriorica, and it ii quietly buy- - > ing up; shops, in England, '. When the Ameri-' Can once';gets his -.head in ; the • whole Of his" • ■': ■' body will follow. New Zealand cankot'-hope to such a' tremendously- wealthy, organisa-". .tion,'. ■Prudence.thereforovsuggestSr'the wis-'- > dom of, placing; the trade l on- ; the pos-' ' • sible footing; by means of: tho' combination. v'i proposed.by; the North Island companies.'• ■ •<■■■ • . Sir. iM'Queon, managing "director-of • s the Southland R-ozen Meat' when ;• seen yesterday in Invorcargill by travelling representative,of the Press,-' said.there 'was no s ,combination -as far as he" knew.Vand if ; . such a thing existed lie, personally .coUld' 1 'hot 5 :: • .see. what was-to be gained : by it.: 'Of "course,l it ■ had'. been-t; suggested'.that , New/ ZSea.land'/\' .• jr.. shipments'should; bo forwarded a Jceritral- 5 .' r depot iri . London," so ' that .they : might''be.! ? L :. marketed to bctter_adyontage, but he didjiofc' ' .think .that such' a'fhing' was , 'requh'ed.'' :; -'„-X- > i '."of. onr produce riot bringing its value s6";}.crte'.i , ~v.i: as the supply dpfcs'iftit' exceed the demand.?; '- • lriarketsV wero 'ceritralistid', ', -I^eW^!- ; 'ZealSn'S .might bo able to fforce 'priceijibufcv'thejbues- V ;- -tion .-Bra's 1 how- far tliej: could' do. that a'dvau-'i Jtageously., If the Dominion adopted such-'a ; ■■ , policy the consumption would ' be! reduced,"•■;{ ■ ,;and then' the output- had to* be .restricted,,-' * V 'f'-.We an ■ unlimited ''"market/"!. Mr.'" . , '' M'Queeii declared,; "for all- weVcau supply.' V ' Wo have other coiintries ;to contend Australia and South America' for ■ and, in fact, tho whole of America and some. countries in Europe.' We' should; be "playing ' ■into thoir hand's if we" formod # combination''-" and tutnaturaUy- raised, the'prices."; He thought-that there was some; founds-, r ' • (t-ion ;for tho assertion, that jf the |meat' fell-- ■' • into jtoov'many-; hands, .one w6uld : bid'against , ■' the, other and there woiild bo' tt. msh to be t-ha first to "unload,"' with the' tesnlt that'iSethis competition would causo a. downward ' tendency in the price,-;but as long'>as'vNew'''(i', x Zealand, hud tho advantage, of a frTOpand v.^; 1 • open inirket she' could come into' contact; ~ - with the' distributors arid with 'the great , > meat consuming- people/arid get''the;, ad-" ?■ vantages ttf their trade to absorb the supply; .quickly. He pointed out that the combma-/ ,•;? tion among the freezing companies in South' 'Amej-ica some time ago had not proved berie;ficial to that country, and the, prophecy , that their frozen meat trade was going to oust that ,of,' New Zealand had not been fulfilled.,, Alt together he 'thought there was' nothirig-'to fear from the-iAmorican ,Trust; -