REVIEW OF THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3352, 12 June 1918, Page 8

REVIEW OF THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

The annual report of W. Weddel and Co. (Ltd.) is of surpassing interest to all interested in the frozen meat trade. We have a retrospect of the industry in 60 far as it touches upon the business of last year, with copious details in regard to supplies, prices, quantities of meat marketed, expansion of cold storage in the United Kingdom, etc.—all features of the trade during the past year. Some economy

of space on board ship was secured experimentally by new methods of cutting carcases of mutton and lamb shipped from Australasia, the saving amounting from 15 to 30 per cent. As regards beef little has been done in the direction of saving space by boning it before freezing. Referring to this boning business, the report is emphatic. " Both the army authorities and the Food Controller with advantage might have applied some pressure on exporters to get them to increase their efforts in this direction, seeing that, _as was pointed out over a year ago, a saving of over 250,030 tons of freight space could be effected annually by the comparatively simple expedient of ' boning' all the beef shipped to Europe. Of course, there are certain mechanical difficulties to be overcome, and many freezing establishments would prefer not to undertake the work: but tihe ship-owner is not likely to offer any objections, whilst the Army Service Corps, the railway companies, warehouse-keepers, wholesale and retail traders, and all those who may be responsible for rationing either army units or individual civilians would find their tasks greatly lightened if a good proportion of the imported beef was prepared in this way." The economy to be effected in shipping space is so enormous as to force all other considerations into the Background, and there need be no hesitation in stating that the suggestion still calls for the immediate and serious consideration of the departments responsible for the feeding of our army and civilian population. Referring to future prospects, the report says: " The opinion is held almost universally that after the war there will be a scramble amongst all the big consuming countries of the world, and so of the smaller nations which have not previously been importers of meat, for a share in the world's exportable surplus. High prices are anticipated a 6 a consequence of the keen competition to be looked for under such circumstances, and fears are freely expressed that the available supplies will fall far short of the requirements of a Continent which for some years has been reduced to very modest rations under the stress of war. The outlook for supplies is, however, more than hopeful; plenty is almost assured. The producing countries of the world in Australasia, South America, North and also South Africa are being favoured with good seasons as a rule; they are all well supplied with refrigerating plant, and stock is nowhere scarce. The only problem remaining to be solved is transport, and even that is not by any means unsatisfactory. The tonnage of refrigerated steamers now in existence under the British flag is as large as at the outbreak of war; and new shipping lines have been started in France and Italy, which bring the world's aggregate of refrigerated tonnage into an exceptionally strong position. If only the available means of transport be utilised to their full capacity for this their main purpose, there can be little doubt but that the most pressing prospective demands will not go unsatisfied for want of the meat nor for la-ck of ships to bring it to Europe." Although the home supply is the main source from which civilian meat rations must be drawn, and which for a time 1 was viewed with grave misgiving as to .what the future had in store, yet it is cheering to learn that " the meat export trade of the world appears to have settled down, under war conditions, to a volume of business somewhat in excess of the 1913 aggregate; and although it runs into many new channels, there is still a very large mass of imports reaching this country. Moreover, there are good grounds to anticipate a continuance of this state of affairs, provided the submarine menace becomes no worse than hitherto."