NEW ZEALAND MEAT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LX, Issue LX, 17 October 1910, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND MEAT.

NEW MARKETS.

PRIME MINISTER SPEAKS.

CHRISTCHURCH, Oct. 15.

The recent agitations in some European countries, notably in Austria, for the removal of restrictions upon the importation of frozen meat, were mentioned by a newspaper representative to-day to the ir*rime Minister who was asked if the representatives at Home of the Dominion's interests have made any move in the direction of ensuring that, it these restrictions are. removed, their removal shall apply also to New Zealand frozen products. AUSTRIA AND THE CONTINENT.

• Sir Joseph Ward replied that the Dominion's High Commissioner had been requested to attend a conference at Vienna with a view to ascertaining what could be done to assist the New Zealand frozen meat export trade. No report, however, had been received yet as to the outcome of the conference, but he expected before long to have cabled advice from the High Commissioner upon the material points agreed to, and also upon the question' of the prospects of getting New Zealand irozon meat into some of the European countries.

"It would be a great advantage," Sir Joseph continued, "if we got such a market, in addition to the invaluable one wlucli we possess in the Old Country. One thing is quite certain, and that is that, if any Continental market is opened to outside countries,, it will be assuredly open to New Zealand, if from no other standpoint than the general recognition of the fact that our mutton is unsurpassed in quality by mutton of any other country.

CHANCES IN THE STATES.

"I am also very hopeful that we will be able to get the communities on the Pacific Coast of the United States by the aid of the two steamers fitted with refrigerating chambers — the Aorangi and the Maitai — which are to run between New Zealand and San Francisco. The Aorangi initiates the service, and is annoimced to leave Wellington on October 19. Judging from the prices ruling on the West Coast of the United States, and on the Continent of Europe, there is a considerable margin that might admit of trade from New Zealand being done upon profitable lines. I do not shut my eyes to the fact that such trade cannot be done hurriedly. Necessarily those ' interested in the frozen meat trade in th Dominion will have to satisfy themselves that they can effect c.i.f. sales, or that the risk is not too great to prevent them attempting to/work up a trade on the consignment basis. However, I am quite satisfied that the enterprise of those in New Zealand interested in its frozen produce, whether meat, butter, or cheese, will, as they have done in the past, do the necessary preliminary work to satisfy themselves as to the prospects of a remunerative trade." INFLUENCE OF THE MEAT TRUST.

Asked if the operations of the American Meat Trust would not militate against the establishment of a frozen meat trade between New Zealand and the west coast of America, Sir Joseph remarked that, owing to the increase of the population of the United States, the Trust was compelled, to a very large extent, to devote its energies to the supply of meat for home consumption. Consequently, -the working up ot an export trade which, some years ago, was a great element in helping the Trust to maintain reasonable prices^ in the States, was suspended. Information at his" disposal was to the effect that high prices are ruling for meat on the west coast of America — a state of things which was probably accentuated by artificial means in the form of operations of Trusts. He, doubted, however, whether it would be worth while on the part of the Meat Trust to apply their methods against New Zealand produce, ' as the quantity of such produce that New Zealand can send would, at most, be a drop in the bucket compared with the consuming capacity of the population to be supniied. At all events the service established between the two countries would eive New Zealand producers an opportunity to test the market, and he could only hope that they would avail themselves of it, and give this new market a thoroughly effective trial.