THE MEAT TRADE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1204, 29 March 1895, Page 5

THE MEAT TRADE.

London, March 19. i Mr Bird has had an interview with the War Office officials, and hopes they will permit him to tender Australian frozen meat for the Army contract, Nelson Bros., Limited, in their London weekly meat report, dated Bth February, state: — New Zealand Mutton.—There has been no addition to stocks. The Gothic finished discharging' on Tuesday, and no other vessel is now unloading. Trade has not been active, and a further lowering of prices has not perceptibly enlarged the volume of business. A drop in values thus early in the year is pretty well unprecedented, and augurs badly for transactions in the end of summer, the recognised slack season of the year. The bulk of the sheep now put on the market have been in the stores for some time, many, hoarded in the hope that prices would take the upward turn, usual at this season, are now marketed, stale and lacking bloom. Really prime sheep, bright and fresh and of good quality, are scarce, hardly to be obtained, but limited numbers would still command a fair price, 3£d to 4d per lb. The general run of the Canterburys now on the market are worth 3fd to 3£d per lb. Pun- / edins and Southlands ai?e in limited supply, and sell for 3£d to 3£d per lb. North Island sheep, of which the bulk of stock consists, are selling at 3d to 3Jd per lb. Legs of mutton are again coming forward, and when bright and fresh have been in demand at 4|d , to 5d per lb, but a number of stale, long- [ stored legs, recently received, have had a bad ' effect, and are certain to lower prices. The ' last few days the enquiry for legs has ceased, < and the run has been on breasts and necks of < mutton, which have been in demand in con- ] sequence, probably, of the present very severe c weather. c New Zealand Lamb.—The few parcels £ that have so far come to hand have been | very mixed in quality. Some prime good- l conditioned Canterburys hare sold well up to

6d and 6|d per lb, but a number of very poet plain Wellington lambs have failed "Eo equa good Australians in price, and many should never have been shipped. Prices can hardly have been remunerative, and injury to the trade is great, by giving a bad impression.

The annual report of the Canterbury (Belfast) Frozen Meat Company states that after providing .£2OOO to be written off the works for wear and tear and depreciation, and £2OOO transferred to the reserve fund, the profit for the year, in* chiding £47 14s 2d brought forward from last year, had been .£2891 13s 3d. Of this profit a sum of £I2OO was distributed amongst shareholders in September last as an interim dividend at four per cent, for the half-year. The directors recommended that an appropriation be made for the payment of a further dividend at the rate of five per cent., making nine per cent, for the year, and that the balance (£l9l 13s 3d) be carried forward to the new account. The Company's operations showed a very marked increase in all departments, the following being the totals of stock manipulated : 277,639 sheep, 167,231 lambs, 95 cattle, 5502 pigs : total, 450,467 head slaughtered. The directors were now able to offer a further concession to shippers, in the shape of an extension of the winter season freezing charges,-andhad entered into a contract for the sale of the fat of tha freezing sheep for conversion into oleomargarine. This would ensure to clients a more profitable result and immediate returns.