FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER

Gisborne Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 4709, 6 November 1917, Page 2

FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER

GOVERNMENTS AUTUMN MEAT CAMPAIGN.

LONDON,-August 14. W c are still without news of any defined policy on the part of the Government with regard to disposal of the meat question during the autumn and winter months. Meanwhile a, protest proceeds from all the farming .communities against Lord Rhondda’s decision fixing 60s per cwt as the price for live beef in the winter. It is declared far a nd wide that this will hut .have the effect of stopping production, and it is already noticed that the. haste on the part of the stockraisers to market their supplies ahead of the era of threatened low prices is resulting in poorly-cbnditioned meat coming, to market. Says one agriculturist in Tlie Times to-day, 60s for beef for January next means a beef famine when the grass-feds are finished at the end of October. Moreover, tire resultant reduction of farmyard manure at a time when artificials are scarce will extend tli e problem.

MEAT FREEZING AT HOME. Tlie above discussion, although it is not strictly frozen meat parlance, "directly bears on the imported meat problem, and I note that arrangements have just been made with Holland to send across to England 2000. cows and 1000 calves, which are to be slaughtered! in a frozen condition in the open market in London. Whether this freezing operation will prove successful I cannot say, but evidently- preparations have been made for it, and if the test is a success regular trade is profnised. There is, of course, the rumour which is now current that the British Government is at the moment arranging for killing off homo stock to the extent of 20 per cent of our entire herds, and freezing much of this at home. I happen to know that a Government Department is now making arrangements for killing facilities for Army purposes at nearly two score centres, hut whether the freezing project is nracticable I have serious doubts. The eventual outcome of these various moves will decide the.level of winter prices; in the ordinary course of events, September 1 should sec prices naturally much lower, but this will not occur if half a million cattle in various stages of fatness are bought and killed for military needs. THE CURRENT MARKET.

At the present moment the frozen meat market is quite a fat one, having fallen into this condition from a periodi of temporary dearness consequent on shortage a fortnight or so since. The arrival or non-arrival of one or two boats, especially beef boats, has great influence on tlie course of the market, and the diversion of one or two cargoes probably to the Continent of Europe, resulted in a strained position; -However, the colonial releases were increased somewhat, and now the market has out back to its summer dullness. Values, however, are high, American chilled hinds fetching 10s, and forces 7s per 81b stone. There is some U.S.A frozen beef to he had at Ss lOd for hinds, and 6s lOd for fores. Home lambs are now coming freely to market, selling at about 10s. Shipments for some time past from all sources have been'extremely light-, and consequently no relief of tlie present- 'situation is indicated. COMMANDEERING THE COLD STORES.

I understand that the Ministry of Food has made arrangements for the establishing of a new department to take over the entire control of the cold stores of the United Kingdom. This is a step to complete the Food Controller’s hold of tlie forces of which he is now in course of organising, arid an effort will probably he made to make the whole cold store system of Great Britain work in a unified way, so as to keep the port stores constantly cleared as the ships arrive, and to'apportion with some regularity meat and produce stored in the various districts.

U.S.A. MILITARY STORE IN FRANCE.

It is stated that a huge coal store has been erected in France as a main base of the frozen meat supplies for the now United States forces, which have gathered and are to muster on the Western front. Uuncle Sam ma v he trusted to organise his commissariat on modern lines, and it is significant that the big Meat ’lmst firms are taking a prominent hand in establishing this victualling equipmen THE BUTTER MARKET. Strenuous efforts are being made to case the position of the butter market, which may suffer prospectively from shortage. As regards New Zealand stocks here, these have altogether left first hands, and Australian supplies are at the wrong outof the world. A vessel arriving a few days ago of 10,000 boxes of Australian made full maximum rates. Moreover, the limit, for Danish has been taken off, so that more lmpoi ts may be drawn from that source. Argentine arrivals have been making high prices, and no further arrivals are in prospect this month.