THE PRICE OF BUTCHER'S MEAT. PUBLIC MEETING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 236, 22 September 1862, Page 5

THE PRICE OF BUTCHER'S MEAT. PUBLIC MEETING.

A public imitinj was hald oa Saturday eveniug, at the Slnra.-aek Hotel, to consiler what stops shoull be taken in consequence of. the scarcity an! high price of butcher's meat, Jlr. E. J)j Carle was callei to tho chair. In commencing the business, he referred to the notice, in tha papors that cattle would ha allowed to be imported fro:r. Gipps' Land, and said that a deputation on the subject had that morning waited on tiie Provincial Secretary. Mr. S. G. Tsuics, one ot" the deputation, said that Mr. Dick told them that cattle miijht be imported at once from Gipps' Land The hubour master had power to o- 0 oii baard any vessel cattle laden, and to allow them to be landed provided they were not diseased, and regular inspectors would be appointed. But it would be a stringent requirement fiat th-3 cittle should come from Gipps Land direct without touching' at any intermediate port. The Government (Mr. Dick said) would do everything they could to facilitafe the importation. The Chairman thought it would be well if the importation of carcases from Victoria and elsewhere could be permitted. Captains M'Lcan and Stewart had both brought meat over from Melbourne. In one case it was perfectly fresh when the vessel reached Port Chalmers, but it had to be salted before it was allowed to be lan led. It was for the'meeting to consider whether importation from Gipps Land alone would meet tho necessities of the ease. He knew persons who would at once charter steamers between Melbourne and Port Chalmers, if carcases were allowed to hz imported trom Victoria. Mr. Cooper was convinced that importation from Gipps Land aloae would not.meet existing requirements. What we wanted here was store cattle, and they could not bu got in Gipps Land, which was dependent for a supply of store animals upon the neighbourhood of Sydney. Fat cattle sent from Gipps Land would almost all''be reduce 1 to the state of stores before they could be landed here. Wi'.h a good supply of store cattle we might have beef at 4.1. a pound in two years ; there was plenty of excellent grass for that. He believed that importation from Gipps Lind would have very little ei&cfc upon prices. He confessed that, us a butcher, he was ashamed to stand in his shop and charge the prices which were absolutely necessary to cover his expenses. The Chairman said that the Government evidently feared ■the-introduction--of pleuro-pneu.-raonia, if cattle were allowed to be imported from any otuer part of Australia than Gtpp's Land. Mr Cooper did not thiuk that the disease would be as dangerous, as starving the people. It would be better to compensate those who lost cattle by the disease than to cause a famine.. A country in which so high a price had to be paid for meat could never flourish. . He would propose that a memorial be drawn up, praying for the abrogation of the pleuro-pneumonia clause ; thut it be submitted to the public for signatures ; and that | it be presented to the Superintendent by a deputatioa. Mr G. Smith seconded the motion, which was earned unanimously and adopted. Mr. Smith stated that he bsen endeavoring to obtain information on the meat question from runholders, and from various other sources. As regarded sheep, he wished to point out that there was a great deal of country " burned" by miners; and that, consequently, sheep had to be driven by circuitous routes, in order to find-food." The runholders, under these circumstances, did not care .to send them-to Dunedin : and the flesherg could not go for the sheep themselves. He was in- j formed, however, that within a reasonable distance sheep, weighing from 40 to sQib. could be got-for 355. a head, or, at about 9d. a pound. The butchers demanded is. 3d. a pound for mutton ; but he held that a profit of 25 per cent., in addition to the value ot the offal, was a very handsome one, and that 50 per cent, shonld not be <Jeraan<kd. It" this land of thiu<* was continued even a few v/eeks longer, it would lie necessary to see whether, by forming a company in3;tt could not, be got at a reasonable rate. Mr. Cooper dH not believe that, at present, mat-' '* ton eouJd be sold for Is. a pound, even if sheep could bs bought at the rate "of 91 up the country. They ■would lose Sib. each while being driven down, and the .expense* were very considerable. If a company w;i» il>*ia-iL he shouUi be vary glad to let them have his.i!:_.[> aiid premises at a reasonable rate. Ho believed that the Mount Gambler district was free trom tuc disease, and that Norfolk Islaud wa3 also ; and no doubt other districts might be found, from which cattle could most safely be imported. Mr. Sims m<j,-ed that Messrs. SwUz:r, Cooper, Smith, Isaas?, Sims, MumforJ. and Carter, be a committee to draw up tiie mf-morial, obtain siguatures, and present it. to the Government. Mr. Carter, in seconding the motion, said that he had seen plenty of sheep driven in Gipps Laad, and he w { is sure that they were driven more than ninety miles, at a cost which was less ttun an addition of 3d. a pound to the price of the meat, or otherwise the sheep could not have been sold for 12s 6d., or $ss. each. If there were cattle in the province, surely the present price 3 **-ere sufficiently high to cause them to be sent intd the market. They wera famine prices, almost He had seven mouths to feed ; and he could only say that his family had not tasted * fresh meat for h, week. He could not pay the price for it. But for the pleuropneumonia clause, there could be no doubt that food would ba much more abundant and cheaper than it was ; and he believed that that clause was passed with no otuer object than to bolster up the position of men who had monopolised the land and the cattle also. Having got the lanu, they were bound to use it for the benefit of the country at large. They held it at a nominal rental, and if the land was insufficiently stocked, it was the duty of the Government to see that conditions were imposed, to compel tha , holders to grow food enough fur the people. He ' believed that if the Superintendent and Government would look fairly at the matter, they would ; gee that the interests of all classes demanded the ' instant abrogation of' the restrictive clauses. (Hear, hear)- He was a decided advocate ot the co-operative principle, but he would prefer fair and full prices to be charged, the profits being divided amongst the members. There was another point. A cattle market was wanted, (hear, hear) ; and if the Town Board, instead of knocking their heads against balconies and verandah?, would turn their attention to this matter, tney would be more usefully employed. (Laughter.) The motion was unanimously adopted. J. On the motion of Mr. Hay, seconded by Mr. Isaacs, a vote of thanks was given to Mr. DeCarle for presiding, and the Committee then met to draw up the memorial.