THE RISE IN MEAT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVI, Issue 12569, 2 August 1901, Page 3

THE RISE IN MEAT.

WHAT HAS CAUSED IT. ■ ' -INTERVIEWS WITH BUTCHERS. A reporter of this journal made inquiries among the butchers of the city yesteriay in regard to the rise in the price of meat. It was announced yesterday that beef had risen.ld per lb, and miltton -Ad per lb. ; The scarcity of fat stock and the fall in wool, the .latter also necessitating a fall .:n the price of skins, are the causes assigned .by- the 'butchers. ... Mr F. H. Steel, of Messrs Langdon and Steel, said that large quantities of fat stock had been shipped recently.. There was a shortage in sheep everywhere, in. the north as well, as in the south. It was ir.i-pcssible.-to fatten at this time of the year, and if a scarcity occurred there was no means of making it up. The present shortage would probably last till November. Mr Steel also stated, that there had been .shortages in previous years, and as butchers had to meet the increased price of stock, and did net raise the price to the consumer, they wire "left in the lurch," as ■they could not make up in the summer what they had lost in the winter. Mr Steeh a>lso said- that there had been much competition, among the butchers to obtain what fat stock was available-, and this, also, of course, helped to raise the price. Mr J. Forrester, of Sydenham, said that at this time last year he received 5s 6cl for best cross-bred skins, whereas now ho was receiving only from 2s 6J to 3s. This was owing to the low price of wool at Home. On June 8 he paid £8 for good steers, but on Wednesday he- had paid £lO for exactly the-same class of cattle. On May 29, best ewes were bringing up to 16s, but he showed the reporter an account for July 18 in which the prices were froni 17s 10(1 to 19s 3d. . Qn Wednesday,.he said, ewe's were up to about £l. Therefore, from the end of May'up.'to-the present time th'ere had bsen' a rise in the price of good fat ewes'-of 2s per ; head: "-We now get about half as' much-for skins," said. Mr Forrester, "as we got last year." Mr Forrester added that if the Wellington award in regard to" the butchering'trade were introduced here'there would be a further rise. Another butcher, .who is doing a large business' in the city, sakl that beef wais costing him 27s 6:1 per 1001 b. He. had been in the colony since 1880, and he had never known such'a scarcity'of beef before. The reason was that the stations had been depleted, in order to place the article ' oh other markets, and this hud cansed the present > shortage. . Some time ago, three, four, five and six hundred head of cattle had gone out of Canterbury every week,, for the London and South African markets.' Consequently cattle- which should be forward: here Were not forthcoming. He produced his stock book, and showed that he' had just bought 20 head of cattle at £l2 17s 6d, £lO 15s, £8 17s 6d,,£10, £8 ;7s-6d, and £lO 7s 6d, and he stated that at this time last year he would, have been able to buy the same class of cattle-, at from £6 to £9 each. Only the day before he had paid £9 5s for cattle'that did not weigh much over 6001 b. In regard to sheep, he said that for sldns for which last year he would be receiving from 5s to 6s, now he could obtain only 2s 6d. The manager of the Christchurch Meat Company's shops explains that the high price of beef is more particularly due.to the rise in the value of fat stock, there being now-very few 'available in Canterbury: During last year, shipments arrived regularly from the North Island. Up 'to', the present time'this year, only one shipment has been made from there, and apparently there is also a shortage in the North Island this season, with but little probability of,, supplies coming from that quarter at: .prices which would enable Canterbury ■'but-' cliers "to import. ..South Canterbury and Otago are both isliort of cattle, and for some' little time past Otago has been' drawing 'supplies from estates this'side of Oamaru, while occasionally beasts have been purchased at Aldington" Market and truck-, ed down to Otago. With regard to mutton, the rise in price is made, notiso much on account of the. increase in the actual cost of sheep, as on. account of the decrease in the value of the drawback, the decline in the price of sheepskins being equal to over £d per lb on each carcase. Taking the cost of beof, mutton, veal, and lamb for the present'year, the prices paid by butchers for their supplies have been higher than for the past two years, and the pre-' sent rise is caused by this fact. , THE PRICE OF SHEEPSKINS. As far as the fall in the price of sheep skins is concerned, it is evident that the butchers have very good reason to be dissatisfied with the returns at the present time, as skins are only bringing about half the price they brought at this time last year. This is shown by the- following comparison of prices made at the local sales yesterday, and at the corresponding sales last year :—'.' ' , 1901. 1900. " Besfchalf-breda2s 6d to 2s 9d, . "up to ..33 2d for extra quality 4s fid to 5s 4d Medium half-breds, 2s to 2s pd 33 6dto4s 3d Best cross-breds, 2s 3d to 2s 9d As 2d to 4s lid Medium cross-breds Is 8d to 2s 2d .••■•'■ , :3s ■ sdio4s Od Merinoss 2a to 2s 6d '-'3s 10dto5s (id Fat sold, yesterday at from 16s to 19s 9d.per cwt, which is about the same price as, last year;, and .the tariff for hides remains the same as was fixed in. August last year, viz., 3|d to 4d per lb for sound skins in good, order. .The drop in the prices of skins is due to the exceptionally low prices ruling for wool in the London market, aridat no time previously have the values of skins been so low in Canterbury. . IrJ spite of the-fact that,the. population is no smaller this year, and: that, therefore, fully as, miich mutton must be slaughtered for local consumption, it is somewhat surprising that the number of skins offered ,by has fallen off to-less than a quarter of what it was this time last year, and fellmongers complain that the weeklv sales are developing' into a farce, as with'the supplies obtainable from the auctions they "cannot keep their establishments half employed. Enquiries into the cause elicit the fact that several of the larger butchers, being dissatisfied with the ' returns from the auctions, have made arrangements to have the skin s felknongered on: their own account, and those who. have done so aver that they get much better .returns',;, by following this practice; Most of the skins from the sheep which are slaughtered for export are; now placed in the hands of the freezing-com-panies fnr treatment, and are therefore fellmongered on the spot. This has naturally reduced the quantity sent to'outside fellmongers, and several of those who have erected expensive machinery, in order to keep it at work, fire doing their best to buy skins privately from the butchers, and it,is said that in order to obtain* them they are offering more substantial inducements • than the weekly auctions can offer. '• THE SHORTAGE IN BEEF. It will be seen by the remarks made by butchers, that the shortage of beef is asI cribed to the number of cattle which have been frozen and shipped to London -and South/Africa. A reporter of this journal ! made it his business yesterday to obtaiu from the two freezing .companies the actual number of cattle so treated, from which it will be seen that the quantity bx« ported could not affect the supply to any appreciable extent. During the "whole of last year, 2497 beasts' were exported in a frozen state, while during the present year the total numebr is only 837. The real cause .of the shortage of butchers' cattle is due to vhe introduction of the dairy factories, which during the past few years has given an in-

centive to the breeding of Jersey and Ayrshire cattle; which; although well-known for their milk-producing qualities, are a very poor substitute for , the Shorthorn, Hereford, or Polled Aligns breeds for beef. Attention was called to this fact in these columns three or four years ago, and it was then pointed out what the. probable resul:: would be. It is a well-known fact at the present time that, not only, in Canterbury, but also,'in Qtage, really ,-,gpQd beef cattle iire very.-iScavc-j and-the saine ; i:emnrk applies to the i.iVorlh, Island. Butchers complain, and with;.-good cause, that,it is a very difficult matter to,pick up .-iv .really good veal calf at Addir.gton- nowadays, most of those offered being . of the milking strains <-r crosses. • The price of beef was kept down here last year by the large importations c'f cattle which were constantly coming in from the North Island, but .that', there is also a scarcity of beef there this season is indicated by the fact that not until the present" week was a consignment sent from the North Island this year,- and this only amounted to fifty bend, and it is not probable that many more will be available from that part of the colony this season. "THE,PRICES OF MEAT; '.. : ; : Although inipSft.J.pf the butellers.ii^^ireti-cent-about, .divulging, the scalei'.of.ipv-ices under which they have, been selling;, the following is the range ruling so fai; as can be ascertained :.-—Beef—Sirloins, .to 6d ; ,prime ribs', 5:1 to s£d ; bla.de ribs, 4d to 4^l ; top and back ribs, 3d to 5d ; rump steak, 7d to 8d; beef steak, 6d; gravy beef, 4d to sd. Mutton—Legs, 4d to sd; hind-quarters 4d ; fore-quarters, to 3d ; loins, 4d to 4£d; chops, to sd; sides, These are cash prices, and from -£d to Id is added for booking. " j Although an advertisement has been published, stating tha.t' the price of beef will b:; raised by Id, and mutton by £•:! per \h, it \ should be stated that the advance is not general. At a meeting of master butcher's).held in February, an advance,in th&imb& of meat was agreed upon, and f6r ai'yhortji time most of the salesmen cat -: ried'"thisi';* I ;nci< but wlien a Targe quantity of'" ewes came into the market, several of the tradesmen purchased them freely, and were thus enabled to lower their prices and undersell the butchers who only bought prime mutton. Now, however, that sheep, although actually no higher in price, are really dearer owing to the cheapness of the drawback, arid that" cattle have become higher in price, it has'been found necessary to bring .all the trade into line, and all have agreed to sell at; uniform prices.