DOMINION MEAT TRADE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18763, 17 January 1923, Page 5

DOMINION MEAT TRADE

PROSPECTS IN BRITAIN. INCREASED DEMAND FOR LAMB. SUPERVISION OF GRADING ESSENTIAL. SHIPPING IN SMALL PARCELS CONDEMNED. iFkom Ouh Own correspondent.) WELLINGTON, January 16. The evils ot snipping m small parcels and the mipossibiiu y oi negotiating lavour-

ablo Ireigui contracts, except tmougli some such organisation as tna -vreat Producers' Board, were two maners stressed by J. it. Jessep, vice-chairman or me iloaru. in an interview winon he gave to yvur representative to-day. ivir uessep spa no many months in London upon Urn bourn s business, and he also visaed -America to stuay the meat trade there. His principal mission was to report to the comd vvniit ionn ot organisation in Great Britain weld host serve trio ends of tu«> Now Zealand produccos 1 and to tmre part m the negotiation ot snipping freights ami insurance contracts. “The general impression one gathers of the prospects at tne JNew Zealand meat trade m England,” said Mr Jestep, “is that with the stirinlrago in supplies and the increase in demand, more especially for our lamb, the tuture prospects are very good.- New Zealand growers want to keep before them the fact that in lamb they havd a specialty. Gut lamb is not affected to any serious extent by the rise and fail of mutton and beef. It is absolutely necessary that New Zealand! growens should recognise tha|t

quality is a very special consideration. It is very essential tnut the grading of our lambs and mutton should bo kept at the highest standard. We cannot risk lowering the standard of New Zealand lambs. Unfortunately occasionally shipments of very badly graded lambs roach, the London market and they do untold harm. I am thoroughly convinced that in the best interests of our growers the supervision of grading in New Zealand is necessary. Wo have very keen competitors in the Argentine, Patagonia, and Australia. Men who have been many years in the trade in England state that the quality of South American lambs in particular lias improved enormously within the lust few years. It therefore behoves us to do everything possible to maintain a high standard, and the good name which New Zealand iamb and mutton has deservedly gained on the London market.

‘■Regarding the maximum in any parcel consigned from this country I am quite satislied that a few day's observation of the ships unloading in the Thames would convince any sheepfnnner that it is ab-

solutely against his best interests to ship innumerable small parcels. 1 am quite well aware that a farmer with a small parcel may consider himself aggrieved because he is not allowed to ship in parcels of any size he desires. He will lose infinitely more than he will gain if the present wretched system of shipping in innumerable small parcels is allowed to continue. The sorting out in the holds and on the wharves is simply appalling. 'The extra handling damages the meat. The standardisation of grade marks and the restriction of parcels to a reasonable size are absolutely essential. In regard to a,reduction of freights there is not the shadow of a doubt that the focussing of the power of the sheepfarmors in New Zealand through the lx>ard has led to a, very considerable reduction in freights, insurance, and other charges. There is no possible way of meeting organisation except by ' organisation, and it will be a

bad day for the sheepfarmers of this country when the power to moke freight contracts for 1 the carriage of our frozen meat is again placed in the hands of every freezing company in the dominion. This matter belongs to the growers and can. be dealt with effectively only by a board possessing such powers as the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board has been given. “The prospects of doing an extensive trade in the United States of America, at the moment do not appear to be too favourable. At the present prices, plus the duly, we cannot compete with the American homekilled article. We shall take New York for instance. In New York and suburbs there is a total population of about 6.000,000 people. They absorb between 60,000 and 70,000 lambs per week. These are practically all home-killed. Of course, by far • the largest proportion of the inept used" consists of pork and beef, as tflo American people as a general rule are much more partial to beef and pork than are the peoule in England. The enormous foreign population in New York and in all the cities on the Eastern seaboard has also to be considered. At the present time the. average wholesale value of home-killed lambs in New

York is no higher than that at which wo could land New Zealand lambs after paying duty. However, if the market conditions should at any time allow a margin in favour of the New Zealand article, it is the opinion of many large retailers in Now York that a trade in New Zealand lambs could be built up. Our lamb is very favourably spoken of by all the largo retailers who handled it in 1920.”

Mr Jesscp was asked what were the prospects of developing on a big scale the trade with parts cf Great Britain other than London. ‘The question that arises in connection wirh the West Coast ports.” lie said, “is how far we can successfully develop direct trade.” With regard to meat, apart altogether from the expense of railway carriage from London, there is another phase of the question which to my mind is quite ns important, if not more important, and that is the deterioration that takes place because of the multiple handling. After all, it, is tc the New Zealand grower’s interest to ensure that the meat reaches the retail purchaser in the best possible condition. In the past the exporter has felt his responsibility to cease with the shipment, but this is a false security. It: is'not the right view', for the final verdict, on the product lit that pronounced by the retail purchaser. If he is pleased with the appearance he will never hesitate to buy it, and it it is not attractive lie will refuse to buy it a second time, but instead of reaching the retail butcher bright and clean it more often than not arrives at. Ins shop dark and stained, and this condition is due altogether to the series of handlings. The meat cannot possibly arrive in prime condition at all the great

centres of consumption if it has to bo railed on from London. There is a marked difference in appearance in every case between the meat supplied to the butchers’ shops direct from the cold stores in those wellequipped ports, and that which arrives bv rail from London. London is the biggest market, and always will be; but it is not the only market. It is very unwise to leave the other ports without direct supply.”