AT SMITHFIELD

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 12022, 27 December 1924, Page 7

AT SMITHFIELD

WHAT WAS SEEN THERE WHERE THE WEAK LINKS ABE. It is not difficult to understand the reason after personal investigation (says Mr. Smith). If we visit Smithfield market at 10 a.m. or after, the great bulk of the meat has gone, and buyers naturally have left the carcases with defects; it may he through error in grading, ,a tom shirt that has left the carcase soiled and or 'broken shanks, etc., and the farmer l or visitor who then sees what is left, and expresses his opinion, as if this is the way our meat arrives as a whole, uses strong terms, hut the views expressed are worthless. „ This is how I first saw Smithfield, and I can understand the point of view. When our meat is seen in the very early hours of the morning .'and whole lines viewed as they came from the stores, our meat on the whole appears excellent. - Lines can ’be seen that have suffered considerably after leaving the ship and arriving at Smithfield, but taking a broad view of the question, our meat arrives in excellent condition. There is no imported mutton and lomh arriving; on the market in better condition than New Zealand. The inspection of loading in New Zealand by the hoard’s supervisors, and now supported by the board’s inspection in Britain of the unloading of meat, lias resulted in very marked improvement. We nave had the hearty co-operation of the shipping companies in this work, and several of the ships I eaw unloading, the meat was being turned out in practically the same condition as it left the works in the Dominion, CASHLESS COMPANIES. Some of the freezing companies ore very careless in putting the covering bags on meat. I saw a striking illustration of this at Liverpool. There were two consignments of meat being landed from the same ship, hut from different works. The consignment from, one works had the shirts completely covering the hind legs, and they would strip bright and clean. The other consignment with shirts sufficient to cover the legs were carelessly tied and the legs in every case exposed. The leg is the most expensive part of the meat, and also the part that’first strikes the eye when viewing the carcase. Many of these latter would come the purchaser soiled and uninviting.. The weak link in the handling of our meat is between the ship .and the market. Mr. Forsyth (London manager) and I, when investigating the position, found that the men loading the barges were paid by the ship, and this i gives our agent the right to go on the barges when loading and report, but here our authority ends. Over 7 0 per cent, of our meat .arrives in Britain in summer, and is put into barges with e summer temperature; -these are filled at varying rates of speed and the warm weather is having an effect on th© meat all the while, and when the baTge is filled and shut down tho temperature of the barge is only brought down at the expense of the meat, . There is little that is new to be added to what has been already advised in connection with the Exhibition, at Wembley. The comparison made by the Pastpralists’ Review of October, between Australia and New Zealand, is a striking testimony from Australia itself. GRADING OF MEAT.

The grading of meat has always led to great diversity of opinion, and it will remain a debatable question. The object of grading is to classify the meat into uniform grades that commend themselves to the purchaser, and return to the producer permanently the best all-round values. , There has been a fairly insistent demand from the producers to stiffen the grading, but the foundation of good even lines of well-graded meat is in the hands of the producers. Breeding and feeding the right olass of stock is the first essential, and the hoard should strongly emphasise this point. It is exceedingly difficult to grade a line of badly-bred medium-conditioned lambs. The board’s supervision cannot make a second-quality lamb into a prime. The large percentage of second-quality lambs that are shipped to-day is strong evidence that our grading standard is high enough, and that the board and the producers should concentrate in reducing this quanttiy by improvement in the quality of tho product. , The faimer must be the judge of what typo of sheep suits his particular country, but it is beyond question that the Southdown cross lamb h* the that is most eagerly sought after in the English market, and for, which

the butcher is prepared to pay tho highest price per lb. The London opinion that’ matters, considers our grading is satisfactory. A higher standard of grading would mean a higher average weight in -the first grades,. and with the keen demand for light joints that exists today, we might easily reach the position of practically no difference between the "price of first and second grade, which would be absurd. The beueficial effects of, the elimination of small parcels (under the regulations issued by the board) are becoming increasingly felt. The companies, are now accustomed to the new system and breaches of the regulations are not numerous. There was, however, a few cases where the careless methods adopted were inexcusable, and these were reported back to New Zealand by our London office. CHILLED MEAT FAILURE. Many reasons have been given why the Shipment of chilled been to England was a failure. The British Government have deoided that formaldybide (with which it wag treated) is now prohibited as a food preservative, eo further discussion on that point is useless. . , .

There is not the difference in price between chilled beef and frozen that is goUr&rally supposed. Chilh?ff rneati has its <fts£ lidvantages in that it cannot ho held after arrival, but must he Bold irrespective of the price. Chilled’ Argentine beef is the first grade, frozen cam he classed 1 as second grade, and the difference in price last year averaged over the season only |d per lb. When the quality is taken into .consideration and also the additional freight on chilled beef, the difference is The advantage of frozen beef is that it cam be held when necessary. Chilled beef to be successful should be put on the market week by , week in. fairly regular quantities, and our distance makes that a difficult proposition. CONTINENTAIL CONSUMPTION. The most important development in the meat trade has been the phenomenal increase in continental' consumption.' For many years we have 'been talking about the possibilities of . the continental demand, but nothing eventuated. The agricultural and pastoral interests, supported largely by the military class who looked at the defence side and maintained a policy that would make the country self-contained in War time through protection, kept their home markets, the low wages paid meant that the masses could purchase very little meat. .The war -killed off large quantities of ,stook and left the continent greatly understocked >in sheep, cattle and horses. The poverty of the people and their needs made it necessary to throw down the protective barriers, and lot an frozen and chilled meats. The wages in most parts of the continent nave increased and the people can afford now to buy the beef that has been at such low prices, and they like it. The people have got their teeth into much 'better meat than they had in pre-war times, a reduced price, and Governments will 1 find it difficult in the future to put up the barriers of prohibition again. Belgium’s consumption of meat has increased lencfamousiy and will continue. Germany’s trade is growing rapidly, refrigerated barges load at Antwerp, and go right into the heart of Germany. New Zealand has landed two shipments of beef in Italy recently, and the (board’s London manager has been there attending to tho unloading and looking into the future of the trade.

The rapid extension of the dairy industry means considerable shipments of honed beef in the future, and prior to this we have been practically confined to one market. CHEAPER. MEAT FOR THE PEOPLE.

France, the most conservative! of the continental countries, has recently been keenly inquiring for quotations, and the Government 'are realising the necessity of giving their people cheaper meat. Beef has been m a parlous condition for the last three, years, and much money has been lost in this trade, but the increase in consumption mentioned above is certain to improve the beef position. Beef has been below the cost of production. Tho rapid increase of dairying in the Argentine is strong evidence of this, and while it is never safe to be too sure in forecasting markets, I should rjdvise the (North Island farmer to breed tho best and keep plentv pf cattle to keep his pastures in condition. If the continental demand had not opened up it is difficult to see where the enormous quantities of beef could have been disposed of, and any market that takes the glut out of Great Britain is an advantage to us. Opinion in wedl-informed quarters in England and America is that the prospects of beef in the future is much brighter. The continent is not so promising with mutton ar-1 lamb. The-" are no* s sheep sating p-aople. They have comparatively few sheep. Beef, venj and pork are what they have been

accustomed to. and the present prices of mutton and lamb are much too high for them to be likely to cultivate the taste. The beard has on several oocasions brought before the New Zealand growers the importance of developing the export of pork and 'bacon from the Dominion. The -price of most of our animal products was seriously fluctuating. and on the Whole unsatisfactory, until an export trade was established. This was particularly so with meat and dairy produce. ~ , , It is interesting to follow the developmont in other lancls: —The number of pigs in Great Britain in. 1873 was 2,500,259, in 1922—2,499,620. Germany in 1873 returned 7.124,000 and in 1912 the total was 21,024,000. France had 5,847,405 pigs in 1883, when annual returns were instituted, and in 1913 they Had increased to 7,033,850. Belgium increased from, 646,375 in 1880 to 1,229,428 in 1912. United States from 58,185,676 ir; 1910 to 59,346,409 in 1920. Holland from 360.000 in 1873 to 1,519,000 in 1912. Denmark from 442,000 in 1873 to 1,734,000 in 1912. The number of sheep in, all the above countries materially . decreased, while pigs increased so rapidly, a very significant fact. These important changes do not occur without sound economic reasons. (To he continued.)