BRITISH MEAT SUPPLY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18020, 20 February 1922, Page 7

BRITISH MEAT SUPPLY.

NEARLY ONE-HALF IMPORTED.

DOMINION POOL CRITICISED. (Received 2.45 p.m.) A. and N.Z—Reuter. LOSDO.W Feb. 17. Practically one-half of the United Kingdom's meat supply is now imported, as compared with a little over one-third 10 years ago, says Weddells' annual review of the meat trade. New Zealand alone furnished fully as many carcases oi mutton and lamb as were produced by Home growers. The total importations of frozen and chilled meat in 1921 exceed all records, amounting to 917,000 tons of beef, mutton, and lamb, compared with 810,000 tons in 1920. Eicluding livestock and fresh killed meat, which last year amounted to 26,000 tons, the Home production is estimated at 1,056,000 tons.

The report strongly criticises the New Zealand pool, and says that the whole idea requires much more careful scientific thinking out than it appears to have received before it can be accepted as likely to provide a panacea for present ills of the trade.

The report adds that stricter grading, elimination of inferior qualities, amalgamation of small lots into merchantable lines, reduction of the number of loading ports visited, definite extension of the shipping season, and better regulation of sailings would do much to remote some of the disabilities under which the trade still labours. Also more must be done at the British end to facilitate the discharge of cargoes, to utilise outports intelligently, to improve railway transport, to reduce storage and other charges, to discriminate between weak and strong holders as selling agent-!, and to increase popularity of New Zealand'meat by extensive advertising or sustained propaganda.