FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 13 December 1924, Page 15

FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

FAVOURABLE EROSI’ECT

BEEF AGAIN PAYABLE

AUCKLAND, Dec. 10

The frozen meat industry m the Auckland province this- season has opened most auspiciously. Live stocx are being delivered to the freezing works ip first-class condition owing to tne tavoiiraole season, and the puces ,ior lamb and mutton have never been better. Even beet, which, lias ' been a drug qn the marxet for years, opens the season in a stronger position. ’.Graziers’ thus ' sßare, in the prosperity m which dairy farmers and wool growers are already rejoicing. The prospects are for ail “annus niirabilis’' for primary producers. Lanio forms the hulk of the frozen. meake;xporb from Auckland. The position in -this respect is a very happy one, as the price offering is easily a ’record. 1 The current quotation is lid ..per lb, which is T*cl, or 16 per cent., better than tile previous best, it is expected that the number of carcases exported will show an increase over last , season, although the difference will not be great. The same applies to mutton, although its contribution to.the total volume of export is small. Prices are high, however, and farmers with fat sheep can look for a good return. Of great significance to farmers is the. improvement in the price of beef. It is not' expected that this factor will he immediately responsible for a great increase in beef for export, as store cattle have become scarce during the years of depression, but it should result in farmers keeping more .calves, .especially males, than has been the case in the past.. An Auckland exporter says that beef to-day is worth 275. to. 30s. per lOOlb., against 19s. to 20s. a year ago. This represents an increase of at least per cent, in prices. In other words, fat cuttle are selling at about £3 a head better than last year.

tf stores and fattening cattle again become profitable propositions for the farmers, beneficial' results are hound to follow outside the immediate financial return. It null mean an improvement of pastures on many classes of country* The partial denudation of the land of beef cattle lias brought the problems of recrudescence of fern and scrub prominently before the farmers iji several districts. Cattle are essential to break down fern and clean up rough country. Better prices for beef will enable sheep fanners and. others to run a few bead of, store cattle’ to the benefit and maintenance of pastures.

An immediate difficulty will be to supply the demand for steers, In the last three, years the total, number of cattle has greatly increased in. New Zealand, hut despite this general, advance steers of two years and upwards have fallen heavily in number,s. A great many calves are killed at birth every year, and the depressed beef market overseas lias prompted farmers to make an almost clean swpep; of males. Selected, females are kept to add to the dairy herds, as is shown by the steady, increase under this head. .The following table shows in striking fashion the process that has been going on, the figures being for January ' 31 or each year, while those under tlie heading steers relate to animals of two years upwards:—

The table shows that in three years, the total number of cattle in ’New Zealand has increased about 400,000, or 13 per cent., while steers have decreased by about 100,000, or 20 per cent. It .should al,so lie noted that the rate of decrease of steers in the last year quoted is much greater than that for the two previous years. If higher prices for beef correct this extreme tendency, a check should: he. given -to the process, marked .in. several districts, of pastures going back to scrub and fern.

Steers Total cattle 1921 : : : 032,805' 3,139,223 1923 : .:: 503,303 3,-146,276 1924 .. . . -133,575 3,530,229