THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1858, 1 July 1887, Page 13

THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

The directors of the Melbourne Refrigerating &n& Aaency Company (Limited) .recently prepared » «!»** on **» work of the oo 00 * I ***?* *?d? d the ftrtutfe prospects of the frozen me:** jaraqe, from which we make the following .extracts >- The greatest difflonlties the company h.w «o face were the heavy expenses, both here &** to London, connected with ihe preparing and disposing of the meat, snd so serious did this geein that ft was evident that, unless a great Redaction Was made, the industry would-be Swamped with charges. After some little time the services of a well-known and experienced' business man was secured to- thoreuKhly investigate the best and most economical way of disposing of frozen meat mr London. This step resulted in a very exhaustive report, which was acted on as soon as possible, and rt> far is giving great satisfaction, In proof of this, recent account sales ahow that the total Home charges are now a shade over £d per lb. Having accomplished so much in London, tho company's next step was to grapple with the heavy expenses on this side? with the result that when the works are again opened a reduction o£ ll l per cent, will be made on the charges. It may be [ safely said that the saving* to be thus effected in expenses will be quite? equal to * B Tht prices realised by shippers have o«en very varied Aargeerossbfeds netted to the $*ne» as high as lfs, wbite shippers of light weisnts and inferior quality^ in one ©r two instances* under ss;- but a fair idea may be given of what, actually has been done by takmg the returns oi the largest shipper,- Mr Wm. Armstrong, who shipped during the year 10,088 crossbred sheep, varying in weight frote 551b to 701b, and these netted an average of 12s aft the works. Mr Wm. Taylor shipped 994 Riverina merino wethers* weighing about 451b, and netted at the works 9s ddi Lighter weights in Riverina sheep wer& much rhdib disappointing in returns, and in all cases the returns- for light-weight sneep and inferior quality were nfisatisfactory. The roosfc saleable weights are crossßreds from 561b to 701b, and merinos from 481b to 601b, During the last year the company shipped over 100,000 sheep, and these averaged, net, 9s lid. When it is remembered that frozen meat was lowe* danng^wie last 12 months in London than at any period since' its introduction, the outcome of the year* work is not so- disappointing, and will compare f a*«rasably with results from other parts. Furtlisri. owners of stock must not lose sight of the benoficial effect of assisting to relieve the local market of the surplus stock, which is yearly increasing* and would prove most depressing to prices hefo if an export trade was not established. , • . Indeed, the increasing flocks irresistibly force on the stockowners the question where an outlet is to -be found, in the face of a most protracted drought, the increase of sheep in New South Wales during the last 10 years was over 13,000,000; it may therefore be safely reckoned that at the end of this year the sheep of New South' Wales and Victoria will exceed 51,000,000, which should leave a surploa of 10,000,000 to be disposed of yearly. Half of tbfe surplus is required for local consumption in both colonies, but where is the outlet for the other 5,000,000 ? Heretofore the stocking up of new country absorbed a large quantity ; but year by year the requirements for new country are getting less ; and preserved meats for the London market is a thing of the past, as English consumers much prefer the frozen fresh meat. It is, therefore, particularly the interests of pastoralists that the export of frozen meat should continue.

The consumption of frozen meat is growing rapidly ; over 25,000 carcasses are now sold weekly in London, so there is plenty of room for a continuing increase. The total import of dead and living meat into England during 1884 was estimated at 214,000 tons, or fully one-fourth of her total consumption. Last year's total imports of frozen meat would not exceed 32,500 tons ; therefore the exportation of frozen meat may be regarded as only in its infancy.