FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER

Otago Witness, Issue 2983, 17 May 1911, Page 22

FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER

THE EUROPEAN MARKET.

AN INTERNATIONAL STANDARD (Feom Our Own Correspondent:) LONDON March 31.

The frozen meat market of late has been one in which with an abundance of supplies business has still bean disappointing, because although a fair movement of stocks has been made all but the highest qualities have gone out at low rates. The cheaper level on which New Zealand mutton has been placed by sellers has, I am glad to see, made freer sales —Canterbury, of course, has by its scarcity made very high figures. Australian lambs arc in every way a drug in the market, and North Island sellers have been forcing sales at rather cheaper rates. The spurt made last week with frozen beef has not been maintained this week. SOME COMPARISONS. The average man must have been deeply impressed ere this by the all-round lowness of prices of frozen meat in the London market as compared with the rates of last year. For instance, River Plate and Australian mutton to-day shows a fall of lgd on the corresponding date of 1910, New Zealand mutton Id, Canterbury lamb |d, and North Island lambs Id. Other considerations apart, greater shipments would almost eeem alone to account for this, and I. might put in nutshell the comparisons of arrivals in the United Kingdom for the season as illustration of this, if it will soothe the philosophic reader. The figures represent thousands of carcases: South American shipments this season, October to February, mutton, 1282, as against 801 in the same time last season; lambs, 273, as against 129: frozen beef, 515, as against 655; chilled beef, 789, as against 474. New Zealand, November to February, mutton, 558, 452; lamb, 930, 798: beef, 56, 91. Australian, mutton, 1305, 1203; lamb, 1487, 1052; beef, 100, 75. This grouping of figures is eloquent of the increased supplies the public is askod to swallow. ■ The March shipments of New Zealand lambs continue this story. New Zealand commission agents say to me: "If the River Plata people with their meat on the market 12 months out of 12 cannot keep their nrioes steady, how can we be expected to?" THE. EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN. How long arc the walls of Jericho going to stand? I refer to tho European walla raised .against frozen meat. The Israelites have trumpeted round them for goodness knows how manv years. It was in 1895, I believe, that Weddels first managed to get two 'eolated shipments into Germany and Austria, only to find that further trade, was barred by agrarian opposition Si ace then, a.nd chiefly recently, promising signs have not been wanting, but actual results have been meagre. Italy has been practically the only quarter where regular trade has looked possible, while the latest news is of an Australian consignment to Switzerland. A GERMAN CONFERENCE. " The most interesting news I have heard recently in this. ootmection is that of the fixing of a conference in Dresden to consider the question of frozen meat importation. Meat producers the world over agree that Germany, while, of course, the most •difficult market to gain, is undoubtedly the richest to secure as a new source of demand, and beside the Teuton consumer the Latin meat eater must always rank a bad second. The tidings from Dresden, therefore, are highly interesting, as they show that the ferment set up by the Socialist agitation, the International Congresses and other agencies, is actively at work and is bearing fruit. RETALIATION. The source of the information as to this German conference also tells me that the promoters of the conference have the feeling that any shipments that may ultimately be called for as a result of this movemem) will be . from Argentine; but note the leason. This is because it is felt in Germany that Australian tariff policy has been hostile to Germany. This is retaliation with a vengeance; but the trade will have -to see that these little corners are rubbc.-:! smooth. AN INTERNATIONAL STANDARD. A distinct advantage to the movement to break down the European barriers against frozen meat is the bringing to the front of the question of an international standard of inspection for frozen meat. I havo already alluded to the importance of New Zealand taking an interest in the forthcoming International Meat Inspection Conference in Paris this autumn (October or thereabouts), and I am pleased to see that the Cold Storage and Ice Association has jus l , discussed and passed a resolution in favour of an international standard. This it did after hearing a pr.per on the subject from Mr Gilbert Anderson. By the way, two years ago, this topic was regarded only as idealistic, but now it looks uncommonly like practical politics. Mr Anderson developed the question in a convincing way. Showing, first, how frozen meat had failed to gain that freedom in the world's markets enjoyed by corn and other food commodities, and pointing to the tyrannical regulations now imposed by France and Germany, he quoted a recognised and eminent authority in Germany (Dr Ostertag), to the effect that Imperial or State laws could be formed for the safe control of meat supplies by organised and scientific inspection. From that he went on to show that already the exporting countries have in vogue a system of inspection which, if not quite adapted, is well on the way to being fit for recognition internationally, and that the line of action to be taken in the present campaign was for the countries in con-

ference to say, in effect, “ Here are our regulations fixing the high standard of our meat exports. What more do you require? Let us know how we should conform to your wishes, ax id we will meet your highest requirements—a sort of highest common factor, as it were, the most likely thing to disarm opposition. The debate which followed the reading of this paper was a useful one, and most of all was I struck by the strong tone of the remarks of Mir George Goodsir, of Messrs Weddel and Co. (Ltd.). Mr Goodsir, an out-and-out suppporter of standardisation, thought that in arriving at an international standard exporting countries should go further than the highest requirements of European countries; give them, so to' speak, an overplus of guarantee in the international meat label so as to- more than satisfy the most fastidious. This is the right lino to take, and it spunded all the better coming from a leading figure in the industry. BUTTER. The bad time has yet to come with butter. The market at the moment is unstable, with New Zealand “ choicest” at 107 s. A drop is likely and a severe fall possible. No end of harm is done to colonial by the great amount of bad Aus-, tralian in the market. Much of it is disgraceful stuff and practically unsaleable. Big accumulations of stocks must still be in progress.