THE AUSTRALIAN FROZEN MEAT EXPORT TRADE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2425, 5 September 1900, Page 4

THE AUSTRALIAN FROZEN MEAT EXPORT TRADE.

In, an article on "The Frozen Meal Export Trade," the Sydney Mail says very truly tliat this trade, " like all other branches of the produce export business, has to be considered from two points of view — that of the trader and that of the producer." It appears that in Australia, as in this colony, while " the commercial world has complained loudly of losses in the* trade, there Lave been large increases in shipping and storing facilities, and hundreds 01 thousands have been expended m recent years in piovidmg accommodation lor nanauug frozen mutton, and bsei, and it is "claimed that tins outlay is very justly uescriDea as evidence ox enterprise on tiie purl/ vs. the traders/ .-Uur coiitemporltiy nduuts the poss.Dmty of experiences UfXvaaera 01 occasional neavy _osse^ toxic ■ ex.-_ ,prba&es'a a-ouot as, to wlietner tne money w-ou.Q— Jiave otea laid, out ix".a _very gqp.U. ttong in handling tlie'procuics imci not oeen well witlun signu jjroan the producer's stahdpomt — according to tne -i^ail — the business has been tautcted by many vicissitudes. "At cercain penoas (ne prospects seemed almost iiopeie&g, at otnerb Uie >_ouditious have Demi more promising, and there have oeen occasional gieams 01 pro- x mise unit it would iree li^cii irom tiie irainmsis 01 unsdtisiactory shipping, selling and disa'-bution witii which iv nas been litiinpcred. 'i'lie promise iias noc been itilniiea, and trom tiie producer's point of view Ihe trade lias not yet been piaced on .a satisfactory basis, me proportion ox the value 01 the stock raised and lattened received by tne producers, who have provided the actual •acock-in-trade for the business, has always been too Fmail to encourage any expansion beyond tne actual surplus produced in the Australian colonies eacn year. . . To x^ 3 - 08 the position iv a nutsLeii, it may b^ said that the producers have not gained sufficient trom the export trade to make it worth their while to breed and fatten specially lor foreign liiarkets, yet the business done in the ordinary ourplus has been so satisfactory to the traders that they have seen their way to secure additional investments of large sums of money. This latter is probably a very encouraging feature of the trade, but it is deeply to bs regretted that ihe situation is not, equally satisfactory from the grower's point 01 view." In reference to the actual volume of erporls, the Mail points out that, although the bad seasons which have visited the co)o-_ vies have sadly reduced fine numbers of 'ive , stock in Australia, the quantities of chilled and frozen meat exported in 1898-99 exceeded those in the two preceding years. The following are the figures given : — | Australian Frozen, i Ktsu, and Chili ed MKAT itXPO/RTS, lß9ii Hd. lb9S-97. } 897-98. JBSB-99. lb jb 1b NS. Wales ... 71,8 6,272 sti,4:jlt,CoO C0,54i,284 Queensland ... 55,2(55,5t)9 f>2,700,2j/ bb,i>Ul,ys9 buuth Australia — — 14,0j4,703 Victoria 19,20.?,310 14,353,900 1i5,4y5.70J Total ... l-f3.332.44L 133,519,737 140.851 ,bBS " The increase was, however, due soLeiy to the shipments from South Australia. Omitting South. Australia, the exports for 1898-99 totalled 132,836,6861b, or b13,05i1b less than in 1897-98, showing that the falling off in the supply was less than had been anticipated, especially alter the decline of nearly 10,000,0001b during the previous year." The only redeeming feature of the business is "that the diminished supplies enabled prices to be maintained yjs the subjoined figures show : — Value of Avstkalian I'kozen, <S.c, Meat Exports, 1896-99. 3590-S-7. 1537-PS. 1898-99 N.S. Wai s £;43,tiiQ -J&.W-k £iH'J,BiS Qneex-s'ana 501,85; t>62,!/J4 67«,<iSS South Austialia ... — — - l!4;52l Victoiii 179,020 iSS,O4:> 179,347 Total 1,024,550 2,130,141 1,220",354 ■ .For the producer the most striking prv.nu made by these figures are the wretchedly femall quantity of meats exported in proportion to th& extent of country and live stock industry, and the absolute lack of development in the course of three years. With regard to the stock-producing ' capacity of the Australian colonies, the jMlsjl says: "Stock-raising is Australia's great -st industry. And there can ~be no question that the continent is capable of producing 20 times as much as is required for home consumption. In the face of this we find that the export of meat trade returns to the colonies only £1,220,284 annually, or, some £400,000 less than that made by ibe export from the comparatively small business of dairying." But in this connection, what the drought of the last few years Jif.s cost the pastoralists of New South Wojcs alone must be borne in mind, and the estimate, according to the Australian Review of Reviews, makes up a bit of very doleful arithmetic. It is stated that the flocks of the colony have shrunk from 66,000,000 to 46,000,000, representing a loss of 20,000,000 sheep. If to this is added the loss of natural increase, the shrinkage amounts to 50,000,000 pheep, enough, that is, to equip a considerablesized colony. In addition there has been a loss of neaxlv 300,000 horses and 150,000 •cattle. That the colony has been able to survive these terrific losses is a striking proof of energy and resource. Translated into money the colony ha's suffered a loss of from £12,000,000 to £20,000,000 sterling ; but should a cycle of good years enfcue these Iqsses will be quickly made up, and it is safe to assume that stockowners will bs compelled to give their attention to means available for the profitable disposal of an enormous surplusage. For several years immediately preceding the recent seasons of drought the flocks and herds, in New South Wales especially, had attained such magnitude tliat stockowuers became convinced, of the necessitx

for the export of the annual surplusage and its marketing abroad in the shape of mutton and beef. In anticipation of the initiation and rapid expansion of a meat export trade, the proprietors of the Sydney Morning HefaM and Sydney Mail despatched a special commissioner to England to make inquiry into the incidental practices connected with the sale and distribution of imported frozen meat. The commissioner five years ago pointed out the necessity for getting Australian frozen meats into the manufacturing centres, 'an advantage which the Argentina exporters had already secured. The central system through which the Australian products were all landed and stored at London ports, and were thus at the mercy of a crowd of middlemen, was roundly "condemned by the commissioner, and the Australian Governments were appealed to, on behalf of the producers, to break up the ■ monopolies by establishing distributing depots throughout the kingdom. "The scheme was nofc adopted;" and the trade,- so far- as the producers are concerned, has not advanced in value, as is shown by the figures' quoted _above. J ' •-

The Sydney Mail and other progressive journals have consistently advocated State •sup,ef vision and control of'th'e meat branch of the export trade, whereas publications written~froni a 'trade" point" df'view; "while admitting that it- is -right and ' proper -thafc Government officials should inspect all theshesp - and cattle slaughtered for export to ccc oaat they are perfectly healthy, and give certificates accordingly, contend that everything else should be left to private enterprise. In the " Year Book for Australia" this view of the case is Jhit forward, and in. a comprehensive article on the subject, private enterprise in Queensland is extolled. J-'ne writer says: "The action of ''theQueensland, Goverrment in supervising all nieat intended for export or local consumption has been attended with most beneficial results. In the British market shipments of meat with the brand of the Queensland Government find a ready sal© at top or medium prices according to quality, and the objections occasionally raised against the character of, meats from other colonies have never been urged against those from Queensland. Apart from the question of G-overnment supervision, the steady development of the Queensland meal; industry is largely due to those asspciated with the management of the leading freezing works being men possessing 'considerable, experience and thoroughly conversant with, even tiie most minute details of the business." Commenting on this paragraph the Sydney Mail aptly remarks : " All that the producers desire, beyond the happy combination-" described in the foregoing, ?is that the State shall see that the marketingis properly "conducted ,so that- they may obtain a- just proportion of the profits. Granted this extension of the principle- a-nd -we- should, very soon see the voluniejof -o,ur foreign meat .exports, vastly, increased." The issue- involved concerns a vast number of producers, who know from experience that there can be •no I visible increase for them of possible profits on meat products "unless a thorough, organisation of outlets for the productions is undertaken by the State — necessarily by the State because the entire^ Australasian, trade has fallen into the hands of a fewpowerful syndicates operating in London, and diverting the whole volume of exports to that city. Under these circumstances it is contended that there is not the slightest chance, so for as Australia is concerned, of the business being an adequately remunerative one or of any value to the producer unless its whole system is radically altered, j-he example has been set by Argentine exporters, who, avoiding the London market, send their chilled and frozen meat direct to the densely populated manufacturing districts throughout the Kingdom. This is the manner of distribution sought for- by Australian pastoralists and farmers, and now that federation- oi the colonies is an accomplished fact, and mutual jealousies inoperative, the views of producers on the subject, as given expression tp in the Sydney Mail and other leading 1 journals, are certain lo receive' practical recognition by the Federal Parliament at an early date. ' i •