SPECIAL INTERVIEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11541, 28 November 1900, Page 3

SPECIAL INTERVIEWS.

THE FROZEN MEAT AND BUTTER

TRADE.

COLD STORAGE OF FRUIT AND EGGS. Calling at the Auckland Freezing Company's, works yesterday, a Herald representative had an interesting chat with the (Mr. A. Bevins) on the frozen meat export trade and other matters of interest to stockraisers and farmers. The unusually heavy ; demand made on produce and foodstuffs of various kinds, a proportion of which h,ts been drawn from this colony, has no doubt •to an extent been responsible for the decrease noticeable in our stock during the past lew months, and the higher prices that have in consequence ruled. This being so,, the first i question put to Mr. Bevins was, naturally : enough, as to the difficulty in obtaining meat for export and to what extent the shortage had affected the company's operations this season. " Since the season opened some ■three months back," said Mr. Bevins in reply, " our export trade has shown a decided increase over a similar period last year; no loss than 2000 head' of cattle having passed through i the works in that time. Some people wore pessimistic enough to think that we would not be able to got stock, owing to the scarcity, but we have found no .great difficulty as regards the supply," the only thing noticeable being that we have had to work the country a little more energetically than in the past. That the attention of stock-raisers and farmers generally has thue been called to the importance of the trade will, in my opinion, give it an impetus and encourage them to go in to a greater extent for the raising of cattle, as they,must now be thoroughly alive to the fact that there is a ready and steady market at remunerative prices. At present the London market is fairly good, and although it is quite on the cards that there will be a small urop in prices, it will not seriously affect raisers of stock, ae I do not anticipate a falling away of more than from Is to Is 6d per cwt, or that the values will go below, say, 20s per cwt for some time to come; in fact, it is quite probable that this value will maintain for the remainder of the season, and perhaps for a year or two to come. Now that the Board of Trade has prohibited the export from the Argentine of live cattle, . owing to foot and mouth disease, prevalent in the South American colony, attention there has been turned to the frozen meat trade, and frozen meat is .now being sent Homo instead of live stock ; but, after all, thefreezing arrangements are limited, and ocean freezing spares are not being increased to any extent, so that there is little likolihood c f the Home market being flooded with beef. One thing, however, that has struck me forcibly, as far as the local trade is concerned, is that a certain section of our farmers do not support us as they should, there being in some quarters an inclination to hold back their stock, while we buy from others, hoping by this to obtain better prices in a depleted local market. They do not seem to recognise that to an extent it is their duty to provide a certain proportion of their stork for the export trade, or that in the absence of this avenue the supply would be greater than the demand, and that prices would necessarily come down. Further than this, it may be said that when the various charges, auctioneers' fees, etc., are deducted, it will be found that the prices paid by as compare by no means unfavourably with the prices obtained in the local markets. Lambs are at an increased price this season, the market being a bit better at Home, and though it cannot bo said that the figure is particularly high at present, there is a.i indication that it will go up a bit directly." "Is the export butter trade improving to any appreciable extent 1" "Yes, it is; in fact it may said that the butter trade is going up in leaps and bounds. Our last year's business showed an increase of fully 60 per cent over the preceding year, and this yeai wo expect to find it up another 50 per cent., thus showing an increase in two years of over 100 per cent. We are trying to foster the trade by making this the final port of call for some of the steamers, thus enabling the produce to reach London in as short a space of time as possible. Quite recently the Wakanui left here with a large cargo of meat and butter, and we are hoping to make several direct shipments this season. In Juno next our contracts with the shipping companies expire, and we intend alter' that- to make it an essential part of the contract that nearly every alternate boat shall make Auckland a final port." " Your company' has been interested in experimental fruit freezing. Have these experiments been a success, and do you consider that the freezing of fruit can be carried out profitably to orchardists or others interested ?" "After the experiments that have passed under my notice, I should unhesitatingly answer the question in the affirmative. The Government and my company, as you are perhaps aware, offered prizes for these experimental exhibits; and on Maroh 10 last samples of several varieties of apples were placed in one of the freezing chambers. Three months later an applo from each case was taken out and placed in the cool rooms, where they remained until the 17th of the present month, on which date they were I exhibited by Messrs. A. Yates and Co., at j the Auckland Agricultural Association's Show, and were pronounced to be in first- | class order aud conditionthis after being j kept for about 10 months. The difference in the value of the fruit between the date of packing and the winter would be from 300 per cent, to 400 per cent., and as the storage charges are very moderate, a very handsome margin of profit would thus remain to anyone prepared to enter into fruit freezing. Recognising that the experiments were in every way satisfactory, the company has gone to some expense in anticipation, rooms providing for the storage of some 8000 cases having been erected." " Do you store eggs to any extent " Yes: we have quite a large quantity of eggs under cold storage, and have found on taking them out after keeping them for some months that they are fit'to be sold as new.laid eggs. The difference between the summer and winter selling rates should prove a decided inducement to speculator? to go in for the storage of eggs."