THE LIVE SHEEP TRADE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2171, 3 October 1895, Page 12

THE LIVE SHEEP TRADE.

THE TEKOA'B SHIPMENT. (Fbom Our Own Corrfsfondent.) London, August 16. So far as New Zealand is concerned, I suppose the event of the week mus!< be deemed to have be&n the arrival of the Tekoa with Mr Percy Cox's shipment o? 100 live sheep. It has proved a remarkable success, ouly a single death having occuired among the whole 100, and that one was due, oddly enough, to excess of care rather than the reverse. The had been ao well fed during the cold weather round the Horn that when the tropics were entered the sudden rise of temperature proved too much for this particular animal, who was seized with beat apoplexy, and dropped dead. A change of diet soon averted any chance of further casualties of this sort. It catnot be said that the enterprise was favoured with 6pacia)ly fine weather ; indeed, the case was just the revere;. 1 Until after rounding the Horn the Tekoa experienced an unbroken series of gales and snowstorms. "In fa^," remarked Mr Percy Cox, "wo were in a 6now9torm the whole' time, with heavy gales and tremendous seas which washed over everything. The ship had to be hove-to for a considerable time, and altogether we got pretty badly knocked about." 41 How did the sheep stand it ? " continued Mr Cox. •' Very well indeed. They were not at all hurt, and did not tumble about in spits of the rolling and pitching— and the rolling especially was something remarkable. I never saw anything like it. But the sheep did not Bcem to mind it. They took things very calmly, and just ate their food as usual.- Of course we fed them extra well in that bad weather. We had an abundant and varied supply. We gave them mangolds, carrots, oats, hay, bran, and ciushed linseed. This was a stimulating diet, and kept them np well through the severe time in tbe Southern Ocean. After we passed Cape Horn and began to run north we had beautiful weather and fair winds, bo we made rapid progress. "In tbe tropics we had no extraordinary heat ; indeed, it was relatively cool for that part of the world. Bub the sudden change from Cape Horn was the most tryiug experience the she ep had to pass through. Another time w© should know that we must begin to ' taper off ' their feud earlier, so ns to prepare them gradually for the increased heat. In this case we lost just the one, a.nd all the rest got on quits well when we eased down their food. and gave them less stimulating feed. Still they did feel the heat considerably with their thick coats of wool on. If I had had shears on board I should have thorn them. But I had not, and so we bad to make the best of it. They have landed in excellent condition." Mr Percy Cox kindly telegraphed to me on arriving at the docks askipg me to come on board tba tot thjnjß nexfeiuoiQjqg, koto}

on Sui.day, and whether this was the reason or not I cannot discover, but hi« message did not reach me until nearly norn ntxt day ! The fccl.";r*ph <-fficrs hrre are 50 prompt ! Hoiv-ev-r it < ! id not. matter, for had I gjne I should h*vo found nothing there, as the bheep had to be landed and teut t j Deptford petdiDg further arrange montfl. In rfply to my inquiry whether the accommodr.tion provided for the sheep had provtd satisfactory, Mr Cox said: " Yes entirely co, with one cxc plion. The flooring of the sheep's quarters wao h.id too tight It was a perfectly watertight floor, and the coi soqueßCO was r.e had gr«at trouble in d ainiug tho pens. When the sea water got in, a* it often did, the bo* her was to get it away. We bored holes in floor, but that was not enough. In theso c\ses tho floor sh'.uld always have simll ppacc-s between the boards— be in grating fashion, I mean. That ia absolutely essential, especially in the case of a Urge nuojbar." " Otherwise," he continued, " the epeotal houses and pens built on drck for the cheep were all that could be desired, and in tho cold weather they got on very well. But we certainly did have a bad time of it to the Horn. The run to that point from New Zenhud cccupied 22 dajs, and the captsiu t aid he bad never before bc:-n longor than 18 days. The daily run went, down to 95, 86, and 80 miles per d.ty, and water came on bonrd in tons. Then wa htvd beautiful weather to within tbrpft or four dajs of Tenoriffe, afttr which strong head winda again prevailed. It ie worth voting that the Rimutaka only boat us by two day 3, though a so much faster steamer : but she also had to be hove-to before reaching the Horn. Our passive occupied 52 iiaya." " We are bringing Home theao sheep very largely as au adveitiscmwutof our New Zealand mutton," jkdded Mr Cox ; •• then people can Bee what the New Zs-uland sheep are really liko. which at present (Ley only know in the shape of frczen mutton. We want the live shicp to bo an adveilisc-m&ut for the dctd one*. These aro black-fnced Shropshire Dowtif, one of the favourite binds in the London niarlut. They ought to sell well." Mr Cox declared his conviotion that a ring existed whose objett was to run down New Zoalaud mutton in order th:it thoy might buy it for a mere "song" and then sell it at hi^jh prices as be-st English or Scotch meat. lam not sure thit he is right in this vi«w. My own impression is the other way. I mean that this state of things, which did uo doubt exut s >mo time ago, is not operative to any niittoii-.l extent at the present time. At all events I oau answer for it that New Zealand mutton io openly sold as Buch at numerous r.-putable shops in mo'-t of the chief Buglish towns— particularly in London and the eubuib?,— and the consumption of meat i« steadily increasing. I fancy Mr Cox, if he looks into things as they are, will see reason somewhat to modify his ideas on thia subji ct. I have investigated tho matter very carefully, and the result is that I am comiaced that there is comparative'y little of that illicit use of the Now Zealand mutton BOW. One grornd on which Mr Cox seemed to batio his op'nion as to *'ring" action was the unfavouiable accounts which have JaUer'.y be-^n givt-n of i»omc New Zealand mutton by wellknown experts in the trade. But there is no getting away from the hard facts that the mutton objected to at of infer or quality was inferior, and that the barbed mtt«l stapled so of ten protested against have still been »«-nt — up to a very rectnb date at any rate. It may be said that these objections applied to only a portion of the cavgo. Ihtt is what people in New Zealand do not deem to grasp. It is useless representing to English buyers that tho defective carcases form only a portion of tbe whole, which whole is made up of shipments consigned by several shipper*, and that it is unfair to condemn the whole because merely a part is inferior. All that is idle breath. If part of the cargo of fi.s. is inferior, the reputation of the whole of that cargo is tainted, and it will only fetch an infeiior ptioe. Thi» cannot be too clearly understood. It will be a very grave mistske if New Zealanders deny my utterly disinterested warning* furnished on careful personal inquiry, as being inspired by persons who wish to "btar" the trade. Th^rc could be no more utterly false idea than this. My sole desire is to serve New Zealand, and I can only do so by presenting a faithful picture of the situation here, however unacceptable and distasttf ul this picture may necesearily be at times. Unless Now Zealand producers will submit to be told where they commit errors, and will set themselves in | earnest to remedy those errors, they will not only bring less on themselves, but will also greatly damage, if they do not kill, the growing trade of the colony. For the London market is bolh a peculiar and a particular one, aud New Zealand has many dangerous competitors j for that market's favour. ■ Mr Cox was much pleased with my account of what Mr H. C. Cameron is doing in Manchester and elsewhere for the distribution and popularisation of New Zealaud. He is going to Manchester to see Mr Cameron shortly with an introduction from me, and lim some idea of following up the matter himself much on the linea laid down ao successfully by Mr Cameron.