FROZEN MEAT.

Northern Advocate, 22 June 1920, Page 4

FROZEN MEAT.

UNSATISFACTORY POSITION.

PROTRACTED DELAYS

The Pallmerston North firm of Messrs M. A. Eliott and Co. 'have rereceived the following letter, dated May 6, from Messrs Uaibert Anderson ana Co., the well-known agents:

"ihe output of frozen Austi'amsian muttcwi 13 still very restricted, and me trade are pressing lor a reduction .n price, and the luture prospects are very unsatisfactory. We wish you to understand that everything ,s oemg done to protect the interests of iNew Zealand exporters, but we are meeting with much opposition from different quarters. The shortage of (Home supplies is so marked now that a great opportunity is being missed by the Government oi clearing stocks here owing to the restrictions that are placed upon thy sellers. We set up committees who report to the Board of Trade, and everything points to an alteration being made, when there is a block either 'by the Treasury, the Minis* tdy of Food or some other Depart' ment. (So far the Treasury refuses to lower the price irrespective of the condition, and naturally now that we have got partly free from control as individual! firms, we are pressing for an alteration of things.

"Last Monday saw Smithneld Market free, that is, members of the iioard of Control are now allowed to purchase from nominated agents on me basis of full maximum prices, i.e., Is Id per Jb. for lamb and 9d per lb. lor mutton—rless 2h per cent., of. which they pay 1 per cent, to the Controli Board, which latter are still paying their rent and staff, leaving them 1 per cent, net profit. As, however, they have to pay the maximum price and risk the condition of the goods an arrival at Smithfield, this is iar from being a business proposition. Heavy-weight ewes are coming into competition with American bright straight sheep, with the result that some stallholders have had to sell under the purchase price, and so they hesitate to go on. The ewes are all mixed in store with wethers, and no agent has got authority to accept a lower price, no matter how badly perished the goods are when delivered. We are doing a good business, but we have to look at the position in a general aspect, and there is no doubt that the Australasian sellers are being ibadly left, and there is no real attempt to get traders to use their efforts to gt rid of the meat.

"The Karamea, which arrived on Fefbruary 4, is now dischanging. We have seen some of the meat which shows signs of white mould spots, and you can quite imagine that when a vessel is hung up in the river three months that it is not a good place for the meat to Ibe left in. Several vessels, including the Waimana, Port Pirie, Kaikoura, and Rimutaka, are all waiting to discharge and we are very pessimistic as to what will happen in a few months' time, when there will be a Ibigger percentage of Home-kilUed meat about, and the hot weather will greatly affect the marketing of imported meat.

"It is hoped that with the trade's latest appeal for ewes to be brought down in price, i.e., to 8d per >Db., and Australian sheep to 2d per stone under New Zealand, a little more life Will foe put into selling by wholesalers, but nothing will be effected until buyers can handle the meat on a better basis, that is, either to sell it on commission for what it is worth or at a fixed price, less, say, 4d per stone, which should leave a margin in the event of a percentage of the meat having to be sold under cost."