COLONIAL PRODUCE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIX, Issue 11554, 15 April 1898, Page 5

COLONIAL PRODUCE.

THE LONDON MARKET. REPORT TO THE GOVERNMENT. [From Our Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, April 14.

In a report just received by the Agricultural Department from the AgentGeneral’s office on the subjects of frozen meat and dairy produce, Mr H. C. Cameron, -writing on March 11, sajs that since Jan. 1 99,343 ; carcases of lamb have been received in London, as compared with 58,482 during the same period last year. The New Zealand butter arriving had been of exceptionally fine quality, and prices had been higher than at any time during the season. The report refers to the want of identity between the interests of some of those who handle the meat in London and the interests of the producers, Mr Cameron says that a company to insure the meat from its arrival till marketed has been mooted, but at the time of his writing nothing definite had been done. The report shows that the cheese market latterly has been very dull. Sales were prejudiced by bad packing, which generally gave rise to a presumption of inferiority in the article itself. The Department, I understand, hopes to be able to deal with this by means of legislation next session. Neatness, finish and comparative uniformity are needed in the interests of the producers and the colony. The report goes into details to show that the dairy produce quotations sent out were accurate and reliable, notwithstanding statements which had been made in the colony to the contrary. Such statements had been made on the strength of private quotations, which, necessarily, referred to special cases, whereas the figures sent out from the Agent-General’s office dealt with aggregates covering the markets. Mr Cameron states that it is, however, impossible to indicate the value of each make of colonial butter, or to indicate the future prospects of the market.