ENGLISH MARKETS

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVI, Issue 3439, 5 March 1932, Page 5

ENGLISH MARKETS

MEAT FROM ARGENTINE.

DOMINION'S GOOD NAME

To take up the position of New Zealand manager of the Wholesale Co-operative Society, Mr. A. G. Hodder, of London, arrived in Wellington by the Tamaroa on Wednesday from Southampton. The firm which he represents, the largest cooperative concern in the world, has headquarters in Manchester and is an immense organisation. It has already dealt with New Zealand products, mainly meat and wool, and its policy is to handle .Dominion and colonial produce entirely. As far as lamb and mutton were concerned, there had been heavy production in the Argentine over the. last two years, Mr. Hodder told "The Dominion." Prices had slumped and the Americans had carried out their usual policy of landing the produce, selling it at the best figurre they could. The exchange was in the Americans' favour and the slump in prices came quicker than it would otherwise have done. The quality of Argentine lamb had improved a good deal lately, which made competition from New Zealand's point of view far more intense. Nevertheless, New Zealand lamb had a wonderful reputation among butchers; and while it was' at a competitive price it would always be taken against the Argentine product. Argentine chilled beef was in a more or less unassailable position, Mr. Hodder said. The voyage from America to England was of only two weeks' duration and it enabled the beef to be chilled —not frozen —so that when it was opened up it was in splendid condition. The trip from New Zealand took five or six weeks instead of two, and that was one of the factors which New Zealand could not overcome. In recent years, however, there had been $, great sentiment growing in favour of Dominion and Empire produce.