The Frozen-meat Trade.

Otago Witness, Issue 1751, 13 June 1885, Page 19

The Frozen-meat Trade.

At the half-yearly meeting of the Australian Frozen Meat Company, held in Molboume, tho report stated:—

Tho shipments durinaf tho half-yeav consisted it 82 760 sheep and 80i9 lambs, all of which wore landed in sojnd condition. The prbes durini: that period have flactuatod Ivom 4Jd to 6.1 p,er lb ; and Jambs h'sve bern sold aa hiph as >M por lb. tho average price beinpr 4Jd per lb for inutfcnn. It Is difficult to acsonut for the rapid ar.d fi-cquant changes in ra'uo in London ; it appears, however, to somo extenS to be caused by the arrivals from other quarferd boincr presied on the marked, aud probably aa the prico of imported multon approaches thai oi tho Home produced there ii a reaction. It the valno could -be maintained afc 5d cor lb there would be a far profit on shipments; 4Jd pesr lb would now cover coa», freight, and charges in Loudon a.d here. The bi,>h rai.o of freight baa been a grea* dra : on the industry. After many nesotta'ions with the Orient Company an am 'nded CO' $r.\cb v/as arranged fi 'intf the freight at i^d per lb. Toero cih bo no doubt tliafc the c'msiiuiptlon of frrzm raeat has ureatiiy increased during t»io currency nf the operation j of th^ Comca y. Tho liiportWi-iH into X yr'ft'id duyint? the following j-wub show tho rapid and great incroaso of the inOumy :— Frcra- ISSI. ISB2. 18^3. IS?4. New Zealand .. — 8,8 tO 98 764 393 :59: 59 KsTuth Wales} 18 «'< 7l 55 - 08 7 o>>™ W.«O Kouth America .. — — — 54, 00 Tne whole fufiure of tho bunlnesa depend 1 ) on the prico that eau bo obtained in England. If 5d pjr lb or upwards can with any decree of certainty ba relicd 1 dn. a large' and Increasing nutlet will bo seOurtd for the t*urpluH stock of these Colonies. In order to save the interest) on the overdraft at tha bank, you? directors propose <uH U P <> h « balance of the subscribed caplt»l

m toon »a that can be done in terms of the Articles o A'l-O'istirn.

The b%la;ice sheeb showed thit tho lo^s on tho half-yca.-'a op 7afciujn was £ 6SsB 2i 3d. This locs it was cxp'ained hownver, wm c tlr.ily incurred unt'er the old freight contract, at 21 per )b On each shipment (since trio r> dnction of tho frdght to 1M per 1b a good profit ha ' b. o secured.

Tho Chmirmi, in moving the adortion of the repoit, Bt*ted that aiice the export tsada in <rczen nißau h d been commeacod in the O.i.inies, three yearn ago, ever hal a million of sheep h d been sent to England from New Zealand and Melbourne From Melbourne »!o»e 170,000 abecp bad been exported. Of C'»ur c ainco thole own company commenced operations there had v fortunate y been a succes.-ion of hid Buv-onß,8 u v-onB, in which tha export trade was not a necessity to the breeders ; bat when the good eeaeons returned ifi would ba of p&raraount importance to ooen up this trade ami keep i 6 goinsr, particularly as all the !ar{jo p oviccial towna in England were now regularly Bupplitd with this meat.

Mesjra Jiiles and Gx, of Chriatohurch wiite to tbe LydtoUon Timsa : — s s it will no doubt prove Interest, iner to rrtttiy of your readers, we enclose a BG&tcment gJvincr paitkulatß and showing the result of a shipment of 198 fr zou cheep por'Tontjariro in January last. The-o sUe«p were sent 63 the Belt s* freezingworks Bhojtly after shearing, aud, therefore, the akins were of but little valua. They consisted principally o' two, four, and six-toith birder Leicester woihera, flrat and oecond crosa aversging 75Jlb when Statement showing the result of 193 Irezm sheep, shipped in <ha s.s. Ton^a ir<?, eoid in London by Miles Broa. and Co :— fchrep. st la. £ s d 79 717 5 at 4] 4d per Btone of 81b .. 156 9 8 43 420 7 at 4* V!d „ „ 8 7 11 ? 73 634J at 4s '„ •/, .. m,9 £ 193 1823 3 £.80 2 9 Rccoivcd for cloths . . »> 6 8 Charges in London, including all commiH'ions, landit.'g, dock, refrigotaclog, storigo charges, customs overtime, caria^o, fi;e insurance, .. .. 41 0 4 Net proceeds . . . . £339 3 1 £ s. d Amount rccjived for palta „ 17 10 0 » ■> tat . 21 18 10 39 8 10 £378 1(\ 11 Paid Freeing Company's charges and f.'eii;ht .. .. 168 6 7 Paid unnac insurance a.d exchange.. .. .. 515 0 174 1 7 £204 16 4 Being a, not result of 203 8d per Bheep.