NEW ZEALAND MEAT IN LONDON.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 9265, 27 April 1892, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND MEAT IN LONDON.

(From the London correspondent of the Chrietchurch Prcst, Tho somewhat rash and reckless Star has this point of superiority over its more staid and careful contemporaries that it Is not too prond to confess itself occasionally fallible. At any rate it ia its custom to give publicity to correspondents who attack its accuraoy, and this sometimes in a manner not wholly in accord with the precedents of the polite letter writer. I called attention in my lost letter to tho Star's inaccurate statements respecting the depression in the New Zealuud meat trade. Under tbe hending, " What Piice this Angry Letter?" the Star itself publishes n very trenchant epistle to the same purport from a gentleman signiug himself " f , S, Crunch," nnd dating from " Lower Marsh, Lambeth," lie writes to the editor :— "Sir,— Your article on tho above contains the grossest misstatomenta, and ought in justice to be apologised for. Firstly, you wroto that Canterbury mutton last week dropped to '2{d per Ib. A more atrocious lie bos never been published, for it was quite impossible in any part of the Central Meat Market lost week to buy Cantcrbarys under 4J,1 and s>l per lb. Secondly, you write that the importers are on the point of ceasing to send further supplies, or words to that effect. It it were less serious I should be able to treat ouch a lie with what it deserves— contempt. " Why, the importers never had such a time as the preseut, und are proving tbe same by tbe enormous numbers of sheep coming in to the market. Thirdly, you write that the butcher v keeping profits up to their present ' bloated level.' Dear me, how facetious a Star man can be at times. Send 4,110 man or the thing— (' no rudenejs intended), for a sane man could not have swallowed such humbug ' — to my address, and I will show him ante proofs that I have actually lout money selling frozen mutton duriug the past two months. " What a pretty notice it will be to have the article printed in large typo and posted, fco that the 'good old British public* may ccc what 'hard things' tbe Star can say. "Ask the reporter if be gave a 'meat porter' a gloss of bitter for his information." In the same itsac, and on tbe same subject, "Batcher" asks:— "Will the writer of the pars anent the price of meat kindly inform me where I cau buy Australian nr New Zeit'aud mutton at 2{i, 2Jd, or 2J.1, or 3d per lb, or any such price ? It certainly is not at tbe Central Meat Market, I can take up to 60 sheep on Saturday morning for cash, and will he pleased to havo the iofornintiou at the earliest possible opportunity. I will also guarantee to sell at Id per lb proGt" Appended are some farther communications extracted from the same day's Star:- --" Sir,— ln your special of last evening you refer to the New Zealand and Australian mutton trade. Will you allow me to state a few facts, so that your readers may be enabled to judge for themselves, and It possible to get at the truth, believ. ing this to be more important than even hitting an unpopular clami, "As managing director of tha Central Markets Cold Air Stores (Limited), SmithMeld, I have been in clone touch with this trade from its commencement in 1833, and at times have had over 00,000 carcases stored directly uuderneata the meat market. The trade has crown from an annual importation of under 50,000 to nearly 2,000,000 carcases. You state that last week's market quotations were fnr New Zealand and Australian mutton 2|J per lb. 1 am utterly ut a loes to kuinv where you obtain your information. It can only be given by come one totally ignorant of the trade or else having v motive for giving such incorrect otaternents. Last week tho lowest price for Australian sheep was 3Jd to 4d per 10, nnd for Canterbury (New Zealand) 4Jd j per Ib, Thia week Canterburyß are worth 4Jd. "Now tho much abused (wholesale) middleman would bo doing well if he got on an average '1\ per cent on his turnover, and the retail middleman (that is tlia butcher; if be gob 10 per cent, out of which he would have to pay rent, taxes, wages, &c. I therefore emphatically aflinn, after an experience of nearly 30 years, that a monopoly between either the wholesale meat salesmen or the retail Inucher does not aud cannot exist, and that tlio competition between them is aa keen as in uny class of business. Your btutcment that the New Zealand fanner would sell here at 3,Jd is incorrect (except for old ewes and fat inferior sheep). The present lowest price that the colonist i* willing to sell at U 4|d per lb.— Yours, fee, "A. Towers. "The Central Markets Cold Air Store 9 (Limited), South-east Tower, timithlield, K.C., London, February 18th." "Sir, — New Zealand mutton lias gone up la price ljd per lb in less than tour weeks, and you have to look very lively it you want anything ad all saleable. Tho price to-day of prime Canterbury mutton was 4Jd to 6d per lb. I have been iv the retail frozen mutton trade ever since it started, but I have nevor known Now Zealand mutton to be bo low as2£d per lb, I sold frozen mutton last Saturday from 2d to 6d per lb,— Yours, &c, " It, H. Mayo. " 213, Portobollo-road, W." " Sir,— Last night your editorial notes pointed out that ' last week' Australian mutton declined to 2.1 d a pound, and could scarcely Had tiule ut that price. Can you tell us why this same Australian mutton was Jd per lb dearer last Saturday ? I have, by deliberate preference, bought Australian mutton, whenever I used mutton at all, for eight years, or nearly so. I know it at sight, relish it on table, have very many times been complimented by fiienda and guests who li-ive shared it, and hope to see the Australian and Canadian trade developed. But why were legs Jd per lb more than u.-iuiil last Saturday, when the entire carcases wore Id per lb below the average ? —Yours, &c, "J. M'Jamhs. "mCnurthill-road. S.E., " 18th February,"