DEAR MEAT NEXT WINTER.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLV, Issue 68, 22 March 1911, Page 2

DEAR MEAT NEXT WINTER.

RISE IN PRICKS EXPECTED

It is stated on the authority of those who are always dealing with the subject (reports The Dominion) thatnext winter will see a beef famine in New Zealand, and also an era of dear mutton. One of the main causes of the cattle decrease in the Dominion has been the wholesale slaughter of young calves, which has now been proceeding for years. The death rate in Tananaki has averaged sixty thousand, annually, and these figures give a very good indication of what the total must be for the two islands. The fact that new country is being largely settled, andl cattle are required for breakingup' purposes is another reason why the demand at present greatly exceeds the supply. The drought in the South Inland has intensified the cattle scarcity, and for the past six months there have been regular shipments of steers from the North Island to Christchurch, and now supplies are on the point of partial depletion. Beef "off the hoof" was sold the other day at 3|d per pound, and an authority declares that in the winter the price will go up to 4 2-sd. These latter figures represent 40s per 1001b of meat bought alive, and the retail prices are certain to rise correspondingly. It is quite possible that the retail price may be Is per pound.

The drought is also blamed for the projected price of mutton. With dry weather and no feed, stock is being rushed pell mell into the freezing works, and frozen, and the lateness of the season's feed coming in, combined with poor rapercrops, will prevent the decreased supplies from coming foiv ward ias they ■othe'rwis^sliould do. It is suggested ""that there is a possibility that this winter the New. Zealand public may be forced to largely dine off its own frozen mutton, large supplies of which are being now held in

some of the freezing works. Paradoxically enough New Zealand beef and mutton are both exceedingly low in pribe in Great Britain.