MEAT EXPORT TRADE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 19, 5 January 1923, Page 2

MEAT EXPORT TRADE.

SUGGESTIONS BY CAPTAIN PEARSE. Captain A. W. Pearse, F.R.G.S., late editor of the Pastoral Review and sole New Zealand and Australian representative of the Port of London Authority,, has for some weeks past been touring New Zealand. Captain Pearse for 31 years has been closely connected with the world’s meat export trade. Twice he has represented the whole of the New Zealand and Australian meat works at the international gathering of the Refrigeration Congress at Paris, at Chicago, and 1 at the last place he was sole delegate for the Federal Government of Australia. During this long period he has several times visited the meat works of Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil, besides all the Australian and New Zealand works. His- views therefore should he of value. As regards this country, he says that there are several matters require remedying here before we can plac<i our mea.t on an equal footing as regards outward appearance with that from Argentina. For instance, our marks are too numerous and no sonsignment under 300 sheep should have a separate mark. Shipe have to go to too many ports for small lots, paying high port and pilotage dues at, each, and taking ar. leng to pick up a cargo as a vessel can go to Buenos Aires and back to London, this naturally keeping freights up. In Argentina one set of dues is all a ship pays, even if she has -to go to several river ports for a cargo. At some ports in New Zealand, meat still has to be lightered and rope or canvas slings used to hoist meat cn board. This causes much damage, as the slings bump against the sides of the ships and hatchways. Eve'ry carcase of Argentine meat, if soiled outside, has the wrapper tom off and a clean one put on before it is hung in Smithfield. Men are specially appointed to do this. Australia and New Zealand don’t care. Argentina does everything to please the purchaser, Australia and New Zealand think that because the meat suits them everyone in England should be pleased. Ttyp London mapket is the most fastidious in the world, and the best in the world is required. In Argentina all cattle are dehorned when young, and there is no horn bruising in the trucks. In Australia especially, bruising by horns ruins probably 20 per cent of the beef and damages the rest more or less? Tn Argentina, in hot weather cattle receive a shower bath every 100 miles, running under a tank in a siding, and each truck gets it bath as it goes past. In Australia cattle are often three days in a temperature of over 100 degrees, without food and water, and the owners suffer a loss of over 30 per cent in value. Thirty-six hours is the , most allowed in Argentina for lattle in the tracks. Fixed couplings and end-on loading is the fashion in Argentina, so there is no jolting. Loose couplings and truck-by-truck loading is our habit. In Argentina, on the, magnificent railway system there is strict control. State-owned railways must eventually ruin /any exterior country such as Australia. The London charges for meat, including 28 days’ storage as from January 1. are,: 67’s, under l-sth of a penny a lb, being a reduction of 30 points in six months. New Zealand has not reduced her port charges a cent.