FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16964, 28 March 1917, Page 6

FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER

DEARER MEAT. NO FOOD RATIONING. (Fbom Our Own CoBBEdPONDENT.) LONDON, Jnunary 30. . lho, tendency to nearer . ..at which quickly followed tho Christmas markets in Great Britain has been confirmed and accelerated in tho early weeks of tho New Year, and January, witii its almost record cold weather, has shown a sharp rise in frozen meat values all round. The reason, for this hardly appears oh the suriace, as it is difficult to see that there is any real shortage. December shipments of frozen meat from all sources, while tbey were short as regards beef, have been very little as regards lamb, showing a 30 per cent, .rise on a year ago, and meat have fortunately come unh.ndered to this country in sp.to of tho activity of U boats. However, there is much talk of shortage ahead, and the general opinion seems to be that- the next two months will reveal ail increasing scarcity. Whether this is intelligent anticipation of a greater stringency in tonnage matters or not one cannot say. Home meat supplies are certainly well mainta.ned. At tho present t.me Home arrnwii beef stands at 12id, as compared with Bj>d a year ago, Homo wether mutton 12d, as compared \vutli 9gd, and lamb 12Ad as comnared with 12d. GOVERNMENT RAISES MEAT PRICES. Tiic Government, alter consultation witii the lrozeii meat agents, decided to auvanee two ouicial market pi ice or iioverninem; controlled meat by jet per lb, and tn.s nas evidently been clone wit.n tile objoet oi stemming tne still r.suig tide oi demand. It is astoinsuing now irozeu UKut lias stm an active market in spite oi increasing clearness. inure seems no limit to iiie general demand turougnout tne country, ajid wo ugam have tne unwelcome leaturo oi x'lace mutton rising to bja, and fiate lambs up to lUid, botn of which rates inane a premium over colonial meat. It is, ot course, a dillicult matter to control the total maiKet by a smaii portion, and probacy not more than iQ,vOO nun us and ewes nave been released per we'ek recently, and will iiot be put out by tile Uoverninoiit while tho present situation lasts. Un tnat bas.s there will be no lailure in tho supply, but wo have got no furtner in the dilncuit tasK. of limiting the profits wli.ch sellers oi South American meat are ask.ng lor the time bemg. GO VERNMENT CONTROL. Little further is to bo reported in tho steps of Government contro'i wmch liuvo been recently taken. A good many people are probabiy surpr.sed by tne lact tnat more has not been done. We have this week had official denial of the fact that there is to be any food rationing, so that the idea oi meat tickets is abandoned altogether lor tile present. I understand that the Government has made a contract for the roquisition.ng of tho Patagoman meat output to the extent of 20,OtXJ tons, for wh.cli, J. believe, it is paying at Australian prices. Then, of course, there is the requisitioning of frozen rabbets, which has been a recent leature.

THE QUESTION OF TONNAGE,

There never was a timo when, tho immediate future as to meat market prospects was more obscure than the present, 'llie tonnage situation is still the governing factor, and the reason lor this is made all the more clear when one cons.ders tho fact, as- it is reported in the Colonial Consignment and Distributing Company's- Annual Review, that a reduction of 30 per cent, in tho annual capac.ty of tho refrigerated fleet has been due alone to dev.ation and alteration ill' routes and delays in loading, discharge, and coaling. One oannot but expect that freight matters will improve this year, as, in spite of all German threats, there has been assurance here from the Admiralty that the submar lie menace is being assuaged by British device, and tho energetic-. measures taken to get ahead with building, apart from the requis'tioning of three-quarters of a mill.on tons of Greek shipping, must weigh in the near future. The presence in the South Atlantic of the German raider has been certainly d:sconcerting to tho markets, for it has threatened South American arrivals meanwhile, though these have actually been convng to market. Wo have heard, too, of the loss of -'several canned meat cargoes, though frozen moat has been more immune The Georgic. however, represented, it is believed, a loss of 200 tons of moat, and then there was the Port Nicholson (the old Commonwealth and Dominion Mimiro), with meat, near Home, and also the Susses. BRAZIL AND THE MEAT TRUST.

New Zealand, which must by now be well interested in the activities of the American Meat Trust firms, is only one quarter in which these undertakings aro increasing their hold. We learn that Brazil is a fair field for their increased enterprise of lato. for Swifts and Armours aro- both opening up now ground in that territory. Messrs (Swift and Company have secured a site at. Porto Alegro, and Armour and Company have' secured an establishment at Santa Ana, in tho inter : or of tho provinoo of Rio Grande do Sill, and in the centre of the cattle country. As soon as tho present works can bo adapted for chilled or frozen meat, exports will bo made, either from Santos or Porto Alegro. Brazil, by the way, has made an astonishing advance in her meat exports during the past year. In the first three-quarters of the year she had exported to Great Brita : n, Italy, France, and tho United States of America about 25,000 tons of meat.

THE BOARD OF TRADE AND MEAT \ SUPPLTB3.

Major A. B. M. Norton, D.5.0., -who has recently returned from New Zealand, to wh'ch he has paid an extended visit as managing director of the Bristol and Dominions Producers' Associat : on, gives mo a glowing account of the frozen meat and produce prospect? in the dournion, according to h : s own observation. Major Norton added that his association had for the second time earned a 6 per cent, yearly dividend, and ho trusted that more shipments might, bo made direct to Avonmonth for the West of England markets in the timo to come. By the way. I have hoard recently that New Zealand farmers and others arc still under the impression that the control of frozen meat matters by the Government is still in the hands of a comnvttee of three, consisting of Sir Tliomas B. Robinson (Agent-general for Queensland). Sir Thomas Mackenzie (High Comm;ss:oner for New Zealjid), and" Sir E Montague Nelson. I have made it clear before in this column that that comnv'tteo of three never sat or deliberated subsequent to its first prol-'minary meetiner: neither Sir Tliomas Mackenzie nor S'r Montague Nelson have had any conncct'on with the question of frozen meat control since 1915.