The Lyttelton Times. MONDAY, APRIL 30, 1883.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LIX, Issue 6916, 30 April 1883, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times. MONDAY, APRIL 30, 1883.

The Australians, if they are reckless in their treatment of derails, are nevertheless taking steps to develops the meat trade. Two announcements lately made, one of which only was cabled over here, in their newspapers enable us to judge of the extent and practical character of that determination. Two large companies have been floated to stock large areas of the Northern territory, and the first steamer of the Eastern Refrigerating Company has left London to begin the frozen meat trade between Queensland and the Indian Archipelago. With a line of steamers specially constructed for carrying meat, and vast areas specially stocked for supplying cargoes, the establishment of a large trade may be looked for with confidence. It is by no means, we may gather from this, the intention of the Australians to depend solely on the English market, large and almost limitless as that market is popularly supposed to be. At this very time the prospects of Australian meat in that market are magnificent. Disease, floods, and unseasonable weather are making dreadful havoc in the Gome supply, while the once almost fatal grasp of the middlemen upon the Australasian meat is relaxing by force of the continued improvement of cargoes. This result the prime condition of the meat from New Zealand no doubt is materially improving, and the occasional breakdown of portions of Australian cargoes does not retard. The public, in fact, is beginning to understand that the meat is good honest meat, prepared for market in the manner made sacred by British tradition, in no way hurt by preservation in ice, which the nation has at last consented to regard as a method of keeping as old, in some countries, as winter. Everything is giving way before the Colonial mutton, aud the beet market shows, by reason of the spread ef foot and mouth disease, encouraging signs. This is the moment at which the Australians are opening up a solidly with the East. The northern territory of Australia contains a vast area of pastoral country which is destined to come int® active and profitable occupation probably long before the agricultural resources of that portion of the Continent are developed. That development depends on cheap labour and cheap capital, unlike development in young countries in the temperate zone, which in the early days„o£ settlement yield magnificent returns to both labour and capital. The tropical products of Northern Australia depend on the great markets of the world where they must compete with the cheap labour and many facilities of industries long established among teeming tropical populations. While in the Queensland and South Australian portions of Northern Australia there is the greatest difficulty in getting Coolie labour of any kind for agricultural purposes, the pastoral resources of the whole territory offer dazzling advantages to the capitalist. Grassy plains, fairly well watered, situated within reasonable distances of practicable harbours, invite the settlement that depends for prosperity upon flocks and herds. Constant exploration has shown practical routes by which the stock can be brought oyer from the settled districts, whose advance has at the same time diminished greatly the broad belt of unoccupied country. The length of the great overland journey being much diminished, and its dangers removed, there is little to prevent the rapid stocking of the Northern Territory. In many places the blacks are troublesome, but the hostility of the Australian aboriginal has always proved a very much worse thing for the aboriginal than for the " march of progress." The country is universally butter adapted for cattle than for sheep, and cattle stations therefore are forming the nuclei of vast herds, destined, at no distant date, to roam over the hunting grounds of the Native races, and to supply beef to the millions of the, great islands of the Indian Archipelago. From that market, nothing like English prices can, wo imagine, bo expected for beef, inferior as those prices are to those ruling for mutton, la the beginning, the trade will be, no doubt, distinguished for high prices, being at first confined to the richer classes. But as soon as consumption becomes genera), a lower level of price will have to be submitted to. At high prices it would, in fact, be impossible to feed populations of cheap labourers. On the other hand, freights arc

likely to range ni least 50 per cent below the freight* in the Home trade, a difference repreaentiog between £4 and £5 for every head of reasonably heavy oxen. At that U tUelf a price ontelde the prcecnt cxpeotaUons and past experience of the Northern Territory setUere, the eastern trade may be prononncod as much to tbeir liking, It wilt give a good minimum price for cattle, and profits whose smallness will be compensated by quick returns. The effect of this new outlet upon the meat industry of the rest of Australasia cannot but bo good. Whatever keeps the immenhe supplies tbo Colonies are capable of producing from piling up in the Home market, keeps away the day of low prices which is inevitable in the absence of such interference. The matter is of some interest to this Colony, as affording a fine opening for the benefit of the dairy industry, which will, in all probability, be the leading industry of the North Island, end a considerable interest of many parts of the Middle Island. Tbo increase of dairy farming means an increase in tbo quantity of beef for export. The greater tbo dairy interest, the more beef will there bo for export. The English market ia the best tor mutton, bat for beef the nearer Eastern Archipelago may one day prove the more profitable selling place. At any rate it is a new outlet, and the more outlets there are, the less fear is there that increasing production will be attended by diminishing prices.