NEW ZEALAND MEAT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14566, 31 December 1910, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND MEAT.

MARKET IN AMERICA.

A TARIFF DIFFICULTY.

Mr. W. A. Prickitt, United States Con-sul-General for New Zealand, who has just returned to Auckland after spending a holiday in America, states that a shipment of New Zealand meat was consigned to New York-recently, and a shipment of New Zealand butter to San Francisco. Mr. Prickitt thinks that if the price of meat keeps up in the States there shonld be a market there for the New Zealand product. It it not probable that the tariff duty of one and a-half cents a pound, on beef, lamb and mutton will be advanced, as the present tendency is for lower, instead of higher, tariff rates.

It would appear that a little difficulty has arisen in connection with the consigning of New Zealand meat to America. The Consulate-Genera! in Auckland, at the request of the Minister for Agriculture (Hon. T. Mackenzie), forwarded to the United States Government specimens of each certificate tag which is in use at various meat export works in the Dominion. Mr. Mackenzie has since received a report from the inspector of New Zealand meat in London that the action taken does not sufficiently comply with the American regulations. These provide | that meat should be accompanied by a certificate from the official- inspector, ; pasting it to the effect that the animals were subject to an ante and post mortem inspection, and found to be free from disease and suitable for food. The authority of this inspector must be issued by the American Consul, and the certificate issued by the New Zealand Government inspector in London cannot he accepted, as he was not resident in the country where the meat was prepared. The difficulty in connection with the issue of a certificate such as the American regulations demand arises from the fact that New Zealand meat shipped to that country has gone from London. The Hon. T. Mackenzie suggests that the difficulty might l>e got over if the authorities in the United States would accept a general certificate from the inspector of each works in New Zealand to the effect that all meat slaughtered there complies with the requirements of the United States regulations. Mr.. Mackenzie thinks there would be no trouble on tha score of our system of inspection not meeting the requirements of the United States.

A letter covering these points has been forwarded by the Minister fur Agriculture to the Consul-General, who has forwarded it to his Government with an enclosing letter in which he endorses the statements of the Minister, and says they are worthy of full credence.

SOUTH ISLAND PROSPECTSEFFECT OF WELCOME RAINS. [BY telegraph.— special correspondent.] CiiBisTCHTOCn, Friday. The year just closed lias been on the whole a particularly prosperous one for all engaged in the frozen meat industry in the South Island. The total number of stock dealt with by the two large Canterbury companies reached 2,800,963 head. I his represents an increase of no less than 577,190 over last year. So far as markets are concerned the season saw a return to a .normal level of values, and it is evident that the period of exceptionally low prices in 1909 was not without its compensating advantages, as it is generally admitted in the trade «,t Home that our meat found its way at the low prices then ruling into fresh channels, £>ixl thus stimulated the domand to no small extent. The weather during the last few months has naturally caused much anxiety to growers, freezing companies, and exporters, but the recent rains, although somewhat late, have undoubtedly changed the situation, and reports from practically all parts of the South Island indicate that given anything like normal weather in the near future good crops of winter feed are now assured. Probably the long spell of dry weather will have no more serious result than to somewhat defer exports until a little later in the season than usual, and it is possibly well that this is so, owing to the heavy shipments of lamb going forward from Australia.