LOCAL WOOL SALE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7019, 6 January 1910, Page 3

LOCAL WOOL SALE

Tuesday, February 15th. 2 p.ai

THE MEAT TRADE

HOW CA>' IT BE IMX’EOVED

THE CANTERBURY CONFERENCE.

The present unsatisfactory pwition the frozen meat trade necessarily demands that somethin;-; should be done to improve the Btamling of New meat on British markets. The problem is how to do it. .RcgiTartwn and concentration are words frequently box 113 employed in discussions which have taken place a round the (mention, anti ccrtainlj vhese are the principles upon which must bo built any system which would effect the desirtd improvement. The ideal method of catering to a market is to feed it with regular suplies. In the case of meat, to have u New Zealand meat steamer arriving, say, every Thursday, so that the trade woukl be able to buy forward with confidence, and secure its requirements regularly from week to week. Unfortunately for this very alluring ‘arrangement, moat i. a perishable article, and does not improve with age. Then the meat, especially lamb, is produced within a comparatively fen- months, and to spread shipments of the season’s output over the twelve months would, under tn circumstances, be both unprofitable ar.d undcsimble. Something, of course, could bo done, were there-pxUting the true cooperative spirit among our big freezing companies, to regulate shipments, so that the quantities of moat arriving on the market would bo fairly even in bo from week to week. Cooperation of the shipping companies wc-uld be required in this desirable movement.

Concentration, the other great prim, ciple, seems almost impossible of realisation. A very admirable movement is being followed by several combinations 01 Victorian co-operative dairy companies—combining to send all outputs, for sale on consignment, to a London represeuta-_ tive, who supervises the sale of the pro* duoe, and. secs that the last penny has been obtained for it. This concentration is curried out to such an extent ii Australia that the bulk* of the New South Wales butter is being sold by one London firm! Concentration in marketing would do in a great measure for meat what it has done for Australian butter. There is, however, a necessary qualification to any advance in market concentration. The meat must be a! consigned, and c.i.f. selling must absolutely cease. If it were feasible to conceive that the forthcoming conference could be- instmimental in bringing about

concentration of the rmAit into a few: hands, then 5-01110 good would be n«* cf-rnpliahetl, but so long as the c.i.f. budiu*s maintains, control of Now Zealand moat on the Home market will lie impossible. In speaking of tins matter the other day, a Canterbury farmer said twenty of kls neighbours had consigned their " meat; to twenty different agents. A- a matter of fact there are not more than twelve units iu London receiving nnut for sale on consignment. Tiie present unsatisfactory position in the market is all a matter of supply ami demand, and until the natural law rights itself, we can do little to improve matters. The time is opportune, however. for considering the best mean*of improving th? trade, and 01:0 thing the C'anterbury conference would do we to consider would bo that of giving power to moat inspectors to withhold from shipment carcases which would probably, on defrostation, present an unfavourable appearance, and be liable to be condemned by the Homo authorities. Improving Uip standard of tlio metit exported should be now our chief concern, and if the conference can come to sumo understanding on this poinf--formulate some workable scheme—it wii have justified the action of the Canterbury A. and I>.1 > . Association in calling it together.