FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 April 1923, Page 4

FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

WEDDELLS HE VIEW OF IXDFSTRY FOR 1022. Tlic follow inti are extracts taken from \V. Weddcl and Co's. 30i.1i. Annual Review of tlie Frozen Meat Trade for Idl’d, rind should prove of interest to our readers as far as the frozen meat industry of New Zealand i- ctneernerl. C <>!.!> STORAGE IX LX IT HI i j KING ROM. There were no new void -tines open- ; I ed during the past year, but additions j were made to several existing cstali- | j lidnnents, both in London and in the j j provinces, adding 1.827.000 cubic loot j j to the cold storage capacity of the ! coiintiy. ITincipal cold stores in the \ j Failed Kingdom shows a total capacity j I of 38.396.660 cubic fe't. or appro.'::-! ; mai civ 268.000 tons of meat, alinut j | !0 j o iii of ivbieli is av- i’ !e in I ! London. In addition, a larje nun:, er j ! i -toil -, in tile j'loviuccx "i he s> than ‘ I CO .030 i■ nb!i- feet ciipacily are n-ed i l ir i!:«• storage of frozen meal. With tlw old accumulated stocks of meat cleared a way. and .shipments arriving normally, there need now l:e no ! anxiety on the pall of shippers as In . the prompt discharge and storag* < f : their consignments in any part of the ceimtrv. It will doubtless be some years before the extra cold storage erected during the War "ill again I" j required for meat in anything like its | j full capacity. I On the basis of 1922 imports (522.G0-? j tons excluding chilled’ the cold -t re- ! of the country are no" capable ol t ar- | lying six month's supply. Stated | otherwise, in order to keep the store- | working at full capacity, the average | length of time for storing goods would i have to be six months. As the actual ! average cannot >,e more than two j months at the luc'l. it is appaieni. that ! the Hiilisli eo|d stores are nov, workI ing at the rate of only one-third ol j their capacity. Despite this handicap."'storage chat ges j ■ are now 2,8 per cent, under the rates | | titling in the fust half of 1921. and j tlic tinee very welcome reductions ji made "illiiti the past twelve mciiths I have al!V,ided a considerable amount ol Sj relief to shippers, i Fit !•!It HITS, j Freight rates <ui refrigerated prui i duce are -till on a very high basis aj com | a red with llto-e ruling before the War. but further icductions irondeied possible by lowered port charges, "ages and cost of fuel) were made daring 1922. wldeli represent a saving to the i trade on the coming year's imports "I ! neatly £1 .Of)!LCOO. or 2 per cent, of the I | valve ol the meat, j Shippers from A"'tiaic' and Xew I Zealand still stiller fr< in the di-advan-i ; t C'V of having to pav jd In VI ) Cl' I | lb. more than River I’iate snippers tor I the ircuspnit of their meat to Kure.iican | markets, but in view cf the longer i journey and tl- extra time oeeupied ! i:i boding, tlte-e higher tales actually compare nnfavoiiinbk'y with the Hirer I Flute shippers for the transport of their j meat to European markets. Inn tn I vie" of the longer journey and the extra time eeeitpied in loading, the.-e higher rates actually eempuie unl'av- ! curably with the ltiver Flute rate trout DITCH PROHIBITION. It i- to he regretted that the clfortof the Australian and New Zealand Government's representatives in T.ou- : tli a tn get the Dutch (level uineiit j pi oiclt 11.11 l again-1. the import of Acs 1 l, .so ne-at removed have . > lar ! pi O' - 1 1 -e-t ive. i v I S I I! A 1.1 A . Ti hi. I, ten remarked that the t’ej sir" w Inch A 1 -laliaux have shown dto ! i t-g.iuisat ion cf i la u export: meat nuirj lu ting arraugemeni ha- ioeml it- main .tiui'ft; if i n-pi ratio: i n tl..' activities I of the Xew Zealand Me:., producers' • Rat'd. \ eavel'ul e'.-c; of the J loo'.'. III! lit - it: tie.' Itui I'liimtl'ie- vollhl ! i't'i'l ai; 1 1 \ lin.t a good tie d ol ei idea r to -uppot'i till- a-sumiuiou. Another charaeteristie, noticeable > 11 tile part of a great many Australians, is the tendency to eveilook, t he shortcomings of trade at thicr own tloi.r* in l heir anxiety to obtain a remedy for the evils that exist at this end. Rightly or wrongly, the view is held by the majority of people in the trade in linglaud that most of the disabilities ali'e ting Australian neat are due to the very imperfect conditions under which the trade i- carried on in Australia, as ccnipcred with ilio-a in Xew Z-vo la ml or t !.<> Fiver Plate. It is onlv to ce--a ry to mention s"cli ptobb-no, a- - i he need lor a genera! mixing of the standard ol quality of tin.' tattle: the lack of a !i quale transport facilities: the lowering tl operative eilicieney in the freezing works; the widespread laxity in grading; and the very indifferent leading arrangements in many parts of Australia, to indicate a Held of co-operative etTori mi the pari of all concerned quite -u(!i cent to occupy their energies lor I be j next fee' years. The removal el these | disadvantage, world go a long way towards making Australian meat nr re acceptable to consumers in Great !!ritain. ! The nearest estimate of the mini- ; : her of live stock in the C uumonwealth ! i nl: i he piesetit time is 1 3.237,060 ' attic | and 80,090.0C!> sheep. T’ri.-e ligiovx j c'ompnro w itl» 13.KJSUO0 cntilf nntl <•>.- . ro]U*e.sent increases of 00,000 rittili.! it | 0.5 p(*i' rent, and 0.030.000 slicop oi j 8.0 per cent. The whole meat industry* of Australia I is still struggling painfully to retrieve it-elf from the set ions consequences of the great slump in 1021. width retimed the prites offered for cattle below the cost of production and brought the value of beef in the consuming market In a point where the charges incurred in treating the meat and shipping it to England swallowed up practii ally tlie w hole of the proceeds. XEW Z FA LA XI). The ID2I-22 season in Xew Zealand ( pencil with prices for live stock at the lew level established at the end of the preieding season, hut the welcome reroveiy in mutton and lamb values in the I'liited Kingdom in the early part of last year was quickly reflected in live stuck prices, and as very little forward selling had taken place be!ore the rise, growers were able to reap the lull advantage of the rapid improvement which took plate in values as the season progressed. The results of the year’s operations, taken as a whole, were doubtless profitable to the majority of producers, and the present prospects of the mutton and lamb market distinctly point to a more 1 prosperous time ahead for Xew Zealand skeepfarmers. The position of the eattle-rai-ing industry. however, is -till giving rise to considerable anxiety, although latterly some improvement has been obtained as a result of reduced freight and other charges and a slightly Letter market at this end. Ftitoi innately. a further decline was recorded la.-t year in the flocks of the Dominion, the number returned in i April, totalling only 22,222.259 head j as against 23.285,031 in the preceding j

year, a decrease of 1,002,772, oi 1.6 per cent. Since 1918 tlie number of sheep in Xew Zealand has been reduced by over four million. The Xew Zealand Department of Agriculture attributes this downward movement to excessive slaughter for freezing and export. the development of the dairying industry, and the decreased carrying rapacity of much of the sheep country. A reassuring factor in the position is an increase of 318.266 in the number ,:f breeding ewes, which may be taken as indicating an intention to make good the losses of recent years.

The number of cattle returned at 31st January. 1922. was 3,323.223 head, an increase of 181,000 head or 5.9 per cent., mostly confined to dairy cows. The deterioration in grading, dressing and condition of Xew Zealand meat, due to the careless methods empluved during and since the period of Government commandeer, shows some -igns of having been checked, but strong efforts are still necessary in M'dr-r that the excellent reputation for quality enjoyed by Xew Zealand beef, mutton, and lamb before the War. may be completely restored. For the first time for many years tlie Feezing winks were cleared °l frozen moat, the last ol tlie season x killing's having been shipped in October. The year’s output amounted t ’ 2.393.773 earca-ox cf mutton. 1.821.811 carcases of lamb, and 266.302 quarters of beef, out of 1 1 i• ii 2. Lb carouses oi mutton. 31.1 12 on fees of lamb, and 1.301 tons of beef were shipped to Canada. L.K.A.. Hawaii and other markets. The total export of meat tor the year was 172.598 tons as compared with 212.231 imis in 1921.

S.M ITHI' TF.IT) mahkkt. Tlh' ii)i;il rpnuitity of lrozon .''ini fli i I loti meat marketed at Smithl'mld was .‘IOS.S’JA toils, or H7.lj per cent, ill' the luial iniportations into the 1 idled Kiiiofliini. as compared willi 292..‘190 tons or dl .!> i :■ r is nt. > - ! Me i"T<'rts m 1921. and 27:5.b01. or :’>S per font, in 101:5. TOTAL importations. Ad,lino together frozen mutt on ami frozen lainli from all sources. impoi t.itions into tlu* l nitud Kingdom in 11 i-j-j aggregated I I.d-d.Add carcase', as compared with Ili.l7il.iio rairiises in 1921 . n (K'.-icase of 1.dd1.A71 eaicases ;or 9.0 jjo i- cent, lint tin- drop in the | weight of tlii'su nrrivals amounted tn j dl.d'-M tons or Id.;! pur <onl. PIIOSIM’.C IS FOR 192:5. I Innie-gruv u beef snp|ilii’s in tin entiling yuai' "ill pi'o'aiilv In- taoi-’ p»li-li t i fill than last. year, lull there are no ..inns of any In rue r supplies of bome-giowii mutton. New Zealand i' reported to lie enjoying an exceptionally mud season, so that, alt hnit.di the act iiiil inniilu'r of (anase> exported may l.e smaller, oil ai-ennut ol the smaller liumlier oi sheet) in the Dominion. the -hostage will probably 1( counteracted to some extent !;y tin lienvier weight (.f the carcases. Shipments oi lilt from ffi’.eeii-hind m likely to be maintained. < i even ine: eased, but the export of mutton fivni the other States oi the Cnmin.iiiweull! is to i much dependent upon tin- weather to lie e-timated closely. All that can he said is that, if a leason'abl - amount of rain fall', mid prices at ihij end are niainla.iiied at it fairly high i level, the .supply of mutton svuilahh ! for expoit will he greater than la.-t : year. From Patagonia the product i. n , if mutton and lamb will he about normal. while liis,vier supiplies may I e ex--1 peeled from the River Plato. SliipI ineiit' of beet fi om Arden lino will prnj 1 :;b|y be regulated to meet tile reijidiv- ; menis of ilu> marliel. It would si..,.in ibat for tie- lime heiti.d j Lite dow li va rd tieml ol food pi i, e- lias I almost to an end. Provide ! I lie | o ral t rude of Ihe r. molly i' ir'l upj set by any flirt her compl ten t ions, tie live I >;!e ]ji i■ ( if imported mutton and Inn:b in line coming year aie not li. Iv to ! -e lov.er then tin .•! last ynr. w. tide D'o iii cnc.r oi lieel jri •■- may show ruiisuleruhie ,min ol eic.elit 111: I I UN's Ml IT I UI'ORTS. SttMK I NTh'i; KSTI N(: FHII R li>. According to tile Hoard . I Trade rei urn the l dal iveisdil ,-! the various lie.'!-! ipiioiis .a' frozen and cliilled meal imperted iulo the t idled kingdom I rout New Zealand lor lie. wear 192’’ wei'i 179..520 ton- t'li.dug a decrease of Sld tons as enmuared with the year 1921 1 of a total !m| m i mb e of LIT iliiS.SI2. The import-, from N t'- 1 .I• ' for lhe skuv period w ioe | d7..V5d in(an increase , f 2-502 ton a - i-ompiired v. il! i ill. previous yea i 1 ol' a total import value of £d.9'Jli. I Id. Argentine mer i imported during the -nine |e -..d Ha- id] Kin- tail iilerease ol 71 .121 lon-i ( f a tola| import value ol £*22.f>lP- ;>.":|, while till’ llgill'c- for tin' Fnitcd State- were ;52>’S tons (being a decrease of dfild loti') of a total import value of (jdfhl.u.'iS. IT’iigimy and other meat exportnid, countries show decrease' in limit' figures a-, far a- the impoi t t rad" of F.ngbnid i- coneertied. It will thus le seen from the above figures that ihe ( *i!it.i’il States as lar ■V valit; 1 p a toll goes. comes tii-t With 9 79. approximately: tln.-n conies Now Zealand with £7 1. Australia £•">•">. and lb" Argentine £■">(>. Tier- total importations of .Meat into P,i ilain during the year 1922 were *2l- - fa decrease of 9.1.71 S I-ns) of a ti tal value of C-Jd.SftfhOlA. or fin average of about £dC per Urn.