MEAT DISTRIBUTION.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXV, Issue 5030, 30 July 1903, Page 4

MEAT DISTRIBUTION.

In discussing the proposals of the Government to establisli 4 frozen moat' shops in various provincial towns of Great Britain it' has been assumed in some quarters that tho necessity of such a stop, arises from the ignorance of the British people of tho quality of New Zealand mutton and the consequent desirableness of making known the merits of our product. If Mr Cameron's scheme rested upon that ground alone, it tvould instantly stand condemned. Mr Cameron himself has repeatedly asserted, and in some cases has proved in tho law courts at Home, that inferior mutton from Australia and Argentina is landed at Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow and sold as “New Zealand” or “Canterbury.” This being so, it is evident that tho reputation of New Zealand moat os being of a superior quality must bo established, not only among retail traders, blit also among the mass of the community. Another lino of argument, sometimes adopted by those who favour the opening of Government depots for Now Zealand mutton, is that our meat suffers owing to the want of adequate distribution throughout the British provinces. This, again, is an erroneous contention. So far as England is concerned,, tho existing private agencies appear to make ample provision for advertising and distributing New Zealand meat.. The case is different with regard to Irelaud and Scotland, whore the Now Zealand product is hardly ever seen. In England, however, practically every town where there is any demand for colonial meat is supplied from tho various firms and companies engaged in the trade in London. As an example of what we mean, wo may quote from a return placed at our disposal giving a summary of one day’s sales and distribution of meat by tho Colonial Consignment and Distribution Company, Limited —an organisation which handles a large quantity of New Zealand mutton. This shows that in ono day no fewer than 344 English towns were served with colonial mutton by this company. Hero aro tho details: — Pieces Place. Sheep. Lambs. Mutton.

Total 5233 J 2331 3037 It nmy reasonably bo assntncd, as one clay’s transactions won Id not cover all tho company’s customers, that in the course of a week consignments of frozen meat would bo sent to a thousand towns and villages in England. The quantities sent out ranged from fifty or sixty sheep or lambs down to ono carcase or Severn’, pieces of mutton, ana"the towns supplied included such places as Aidershot, Bedford. Bradford, Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Chatham, Cowes. Canterbury. Dover, Derby, Deal. Folkestone, Gloucester, Gravesend, Hereford, Hertford, Leamington, Margate, Maidstone, Newport, Nottingham, Oxford, Portsmouth, Hyde, Reading, Ramsgate, Rugby, Southampton, Sheffield, North and South Shields, Tunbridge Wells, Worcester, Warwick and Wolverhampton, besides a largo cum-

ber of places whose very names are unknown to most people in this country. The foregoing, be it remembered, is but one days record of one company; if the figures for all the wholesale dealers were availab.o, it would bo found that Now Zealand meat is thoroughly well distributed throughout England. Among large English business concerns that deal in New Zealand meat, cither exclusively or to a largo extent, wo mayquowotho following from the “Pastoralists’ Review” for July IG:~Eastmans, 1000 shops; 3. Nelson and Sons, 1000; London. Central Meat Company, 1250; W. and 11. Fletcher, 170; Higgins (Liverpool), 90; Lowe (Sutton Coldfield). 50; B. W. Parsons, 50; Fumiss (Sunderland), 20. Eastmans may roughly bo put down as cutting half-and-half New Zealand and Plate meat; Nelson’s cut Now Zealand lamb and a little New Zealand mutton ; Parsons uses New Zealand moat, entirely; Fletchers a consider aWo quantity; and the others mentioned cut what meat the district and the requirements of the public demand. There is one firm with about six shops, John Rose and Co., London, which entirely handles New Zealand meat; no advertising could bo more thorough than theirs—they send out 100,000 circulars a month all over the country. If the opening of Government retail meat shops cannot bo justified on the score of making known the superior quality of our mutton or of securing its fuller distribution, on what plea does the proposal rely? Mr Cameron has stated it in his' report to the Government on '‘The Improvement of New Zealand Meat Distribution in the Markets of Great Britain.” His plea is that tho object to bo served is “ bold advertisement.” His idea is to stimulate tho demand for New Zealand mutton by opening a shop in a number of towns with each over a hundred thousand inhabitants, displaying the moat so as to attract a superior class of customers who will not look at Argentine meat, and thereby compelling the butchers who cater for that class to keep supplies of our mutton. Mr Cameron argues : —“ Instead of tho wholesale sa.esman having to urge tho retailer to introduce the mutton to his customers, tho customers, having had the mutton introduced to them by the advertisement of the Now Zealand stores, ask the butcher to supply them with it, thus becoming canvassers for. New Zealand mutton, and the butcher then asks the wholesale salesman for it.” Put in this way, the scheme is plausible-; and presumably, when the demand has been created, and tho better-class butchers stock New Zealand meat, the Government shops will bo shut up and the trade left in private bands as at present.

This prospect will not, of course, bo pleasing to tho advocates of complete State control of the meat trade in the' interests of tho producers of this country. On the strength of Mr Seddou’s telegram to the London “Express,” a number of people in London rushed to the conclusion that a large scheme of Government trading was contemplated. Thus the “Daily Mail” saw in the idea an attempt to check the controlling of tho moat trade by monopolies. Socialists regarded it as the greatest socialistic scheme of tho age, and the Fabian Society patted Mr Seddon on the back ■as the “translator of socialist theory into practice.” Even Now Zealand bondholders were interested, and according to the “Financial News” wero ranch alarmed in viewing this proposition to undertake private trading with State funds. We cannot, of course, speak with authority, pending tho disclosure! of tho details of the Government project ; but it seems clear in tho meantime that all that is proposed is a means of extending tho sale of New Zealand mutton among hotter-class customers who are willing to pay a good price for a superior article. As to tho profits likely to accrue from tho venture, these must be looked upon as problematical, in the light of tho statements ’made in the letter from Mr W. Nelson, of Tomoana, published in our columns. Mr Cameron’s estimate of profits may be overdrawn; but in Ms original proposal profit was not contemplated. In tho report from which we have already quoted, ho says: “Tho profit derived from the business done in tho shops would at the very least pay working expenses, so that tho cost of tho advertisement for the mutton would bo nil, I am, however, satisfied that a handsome profit besides can be made from the shops, but, of course, under tho present proposal there is no need to consider this.” Has tho Government rcoonsEdercd matters and resolved upon largely extending the scope of tho scheme? If so. Parliament will have to consider very carefully the bearings of the whole matter. Already tho members of tho Manchester and District Meat Retailers’ Association, interpreting tho proposals outlined as being mimical to their interests, have passed a resolution pledging themselves “to discontinue tho sale of all New Zealand meat whatsoever in tho event of the Now Zealand Government carrying out this scheme.” These people would doubtless bo placated were they assured that tho project was simply ono to advertise New Zealand meat, and that its ultimate influence would bo altogether in thdir favour; but if a larger scheme of Government control is proposed' the hostility shown by the Manchester meat retailers would certainly extend until it became a complete “boycott.” Again, the opposition of the Argentine Government would have to bo'reckoned with, if State control of the New Zealand meat trade wore set up. In tho early days of Argentina’s moat export trade, the Government subsidised it to the extent of sixpence per sheep; and it is quite possible that similar tactics would bo resorted to with a view to cope with our Govennne t organisation. On the whole, it will bo well if the meat-shop proposal is confined to the original senp? of serving as an advertisement for our mutton, guaranteeing its excellence r."d securing better prices for prime quality.

From London Depot to country districts (2S2 towns) 16111 926 1537 Cash Sales From Manchester 10 32 60 - Depot (11 towns) Prom Liverpool 48 211 130 Depot (6 towns) From Sheffield De- ; 37 3 — - pot (8 towns) From Birmingham 23 3 .18 Depot (20 towns) From Newcastle 38 51 20 Depot (7 towns) Sold on London 18 6 — Market 342S 1599 1272