FROZEN MEAT SHIPMENTS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 285, 17 November 1923, Page 2

FROZEN MEAT SHIPMENTS.

AIEAT PRODUCERS’ BOARD’S OPERATIONS. Wellington, Nov. 16. The New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board reports that it has so regulated shipments of New Zealand frozen meat that stores in the Dominion arc practically empty. There was in store at the end of October only 44,242 carcases of lamb, 4322 carcases of mutton ana 42,942 quarters of beef. Shipments from Australia last season luring the months of October, November and December amounted to 1,863,430 carcases of lamb. The effects of the drought arc such that in October ol this year 42,600 carcases were shipped in comparison with 412,800 carcases iii October of last year, and the estimated amount that will be shipped to the end of December this year is 750.000 car cases, being 113,430 carcases less than for the same period last year. The balance of the Australian season is expected to follow out in the same proportion and the above conditions apply also to sheep. The first shipment of the new season’s Australian iamb was sold some days ago at 10jd c.i.f. This is abou-t the same price as similar quality lamb sold from Australia at the same date last year. A report from the Argentine agen e advises that “heavy falls of snow, with There is likely to be poorer lambltig, experienced in tly’ large sheep raising country in the south of the Argentine, while a loss of 20 per cent of sheep is probable .in some parts of the country. There is likel jto be poorer lambing, while wethers will be very thin in the spring and will not be in condition for killing until late in the season.” But with such an extensive country the facts are not yet sufficiently available to enable the Board to give a reliable statement Compared with last year shipments of lamb and mutton in the months of September and October in the Argentine were as follows: —September, 1922, mutton 62,414, lamb, 83,396; September, 1923, mutton, 64,100, lamb, 93,300; October. 1922, mutton, 51,082, lamb, 71,381; October, 1923, mutton, 105,250, lam, 83,600. The Board has just received a .cable from its Argentine representative advising that it is contemplated that shipments of frozen mutton and frozen lamb from Patagonia will "be less ti.is season than last season. The cost of shipping lamb from New Zealand to Great Britain has not varied much from last year. The freight is lower by id per lb, and the price of wool is somewhat better.