CHILLED BEEF

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21765, 3 April 1934, Page 5

CHILLED BEEF

AUSTRALIAN INTEREST

CHANGE-OVER FRED] CTED SHIPPING SPACE PROVIDED [ I'TtOM OUR OWN COIUIHSI'ONDENT] SYDNEY, March 22 Everything points to tlio fact that Australia is preparing for a groat change-over to chilled beef, as far as her meat industry is concerned. This was made oven moro apparent this week when the big shipping companies engaged in the trade to Great Britain outlined their programmes for the equipment of vessels to carry chilled beef to London. An important conference of graziers will be held in Sydney shortly, when tho whole question will be considered. It should now lie possible to proceed with confidence in developing plans for tho production of beef suitable for chilling. •Including tho Blue Star Line, at least 31 shipping companies will have vessels available for tho carriage of chilled beef before tho end of the year. In some cases programmes havo been worked out sufficiently to permit of space bookings, while in others this stage is expected to be reached shortly. So far, it is understood, actual bookings have been confined to one firm in Now South Wales, the Queensland .Meat Industry Board, acting on behalf of a number of exporters in Queensland, and the Western Australian Government meat works at Wyndham. As further space becomes available, however, it is expected that other exporters will take an active part in developing the trade. .Discussing their companies' plans, shipping representatives emphasised that arrangements so far made are designed to meet the probable space needs of what is termed the 19.'34 experimental period, and that further provision would be made as far as possible ahead of actual requirements in order that the trade might bo progressively developed as rapidly as- production and marketing arrangements would permit. In many circles it is j'clt that the time is not far distant when tho. Australian meat trade will bo confined to chilled beef. According to Mr. F. J. Walker, a leading meat exporter in New South Wales, an impetus has been given-to the chilled beef trade by a recent shipment to London. As a result of that shipment a number of British orders had been placed in Australia. Tho development of the chilled beef trade would mean the salvation of. the cattle industry in Australia. The effect of additional being made available on ships for chilled beef would mean increased shipments, leading to the time when Australian chilled beef would bo on the London market every day of the year. That was the first essential to the building up of tho trade. Graziers were determined to develop the trade, and the difficulty of ensuring a continuity of supply all the year round was being attacked. Reserve paddocks and fodder conservation should enable Australia to overcome the advantages at present held by the Argentine in being able to ship beef to London irrespective of the season. Even now, by marshalling the resources of all the exporting States, it would bo possible to ship almost continuously. At worst, there should be no moro than an occasional lapse in tho supply.

MEAT EXPORTS SHRINKAGE OF MARKETS "NO SOLUTION TO PROBLEM" [from our own correspondent] SYDNEY. March 2D Commenting on the statement of Mr. W. Angliss that the Australian meat industry was fast losing all its markets abroad, Mr. Boss Grant, acting chief veterinary officer of the Australian Department of Commerce, pointed out that the Commonwealth was not alone in this misfortune as all tho meatexporting countries of the world were faced with the same problem. " Tho shrinkage of potential meat markets," said Mr. Grant, " has been going on for a number of years. As a result of the war all tho countries of Europe found themselves with vastly depleted numbers of livestock, and great quantities of frozen meat were imported from Australia, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay and South Africa, reaching in peak years tho product of over one million head of cattle. " Gradually, as the European herds got back to their former numbers, these import avenues were closed by quotas and tariffs, and the only country which would take meat in any quantity was Great Britain. It was mainly to meet a-nd regulate the rush of imports from all the meat-exporting countries of tho world that the quota system was introduced. " Thus, from about 1926 the greatest quantities of meat exported from Australia were marketed in Great Britain, and the amount exported to other countries, such as Belgium, Italy, and Germany began to drop considerably. The position now is that the amount, taken by even these countries is nearly negligible. For instance, in 1932-33 Great Britain took 124 million pounds of frozen beef out of an export total from Australia of 154 million pounds. "Of other meats, such as lamb, mutton and pork, the proportion taken by Great Britain was very much higher. A small trade —by comparison with that of Great Britain —has in tho last few years been - built up in the East, chiefly with Japan, but this also shows signs of falling off. In any case these exports of beef are not very high grade. " In my view, there appears to bo no solution to the problem. The Continental market is definitely out of tho picture because of homo production. America produces more than she requires. There appear, to bo few opportunities in Asiatic countries, where tho people are too poor to pay our prices, and where thero are many religious objections to extensive meat-eating."

COMPANY MERGER

SWEETS FOR AUSTRALIA LONDON, March 2i Mr. Seehohm Rowntree, at the annual meeting of Rowntreo and Company, Limited, announced the completion of the amalgamation with a Melbourne linn. This will enable practically all goods for the Australian market to be manufactured in .Melbourne. CALL AND DIVIDEND LIST Dividends— Duo N.Z. Drus—final, 4 p.c Apl. 6 Howard Smith—old., 11 P.c. for year; pref , quarterly, fi p.c. n-a Apl. 7 Ml. Morgan—quarterly, I'd a sfl share Apl. 10 Ok nr i to— six Hi. fid a. hliarc . . Apl. 12 Northern Poller Milling—final, ord., 3J p.c. Apl. 12 Amalgamated Zinc—hnlf-yenrly 21 p.c. . . Apl. 13 South British—interim. Is 4d a share . . . . . . . . Apl. 'J.'' Rnwang Tin—3d (sterling) a share Apl. Calls— Oxenbridge Shotover—final, 3d a share . . . . . . . Apl. 10 .Reserve Bank N.Z.—£2 a sham June 1