LONDON MEAT MARKET

Otago Witness, Issue 3495, 8 March 1921, Page 12

LONDON MEAT MARKET

SMITH FIELD SALESMAN’S VIEWS. AN INTERESTING STATEMENT. Some interesting remarks with regard to the meat market at Home were made to a Daily Times reporter yesterday by Mr D. Mann, of Messrs D. Mann and Co., Central Markets, Smithfield. Mr Mann is an old Dunedinite, and is a partner of Messrs Taylor and Mann, Mount Pleasant, Mataura. Mr Mann left Dunedin for the Homeland 31 years ago, and after some years in the retail trade commenced as a wholesale salesman at Smithfield, where he has- been operating for the past 24 or 25 years. Mr Mann said that he had noticed certain criticism appearing in the press relative to the maximum prices fixed at Home. The demand had been put forward that the New Zealand Government should insist upon the removal of these maximum prices, and that the New Zealand producers should be placed on the same basis as the British producer. Personally, he did not see how the New Zealand producers were entitled to this, because the maximum prices had been brought about by the administration in their desire to protect consumers and producers at Home. He had been met by the anticipation in New Zealand that the maximum prices would be abandoned at the end of March. The considered opinion when he left Home in October last was that this was not likely to take place for another two or three years at least. That was his opinion still—that it would be another two or three years before they had a free market. One had to consider the position of the Imperial authorities and the unsettled condition of the people as a whole. The removal of the maximum, price would no doubt put the price of imported meat against the consumer. ar.d would act very much against the Home producer, especially the competition they would pot by supplies of chilled beef from Argentine. The weight of meat from Argentine outweighs the exports of the Australasian colonies, and the very fine quality of the Argentine beef in its chilled condition would cut very heavy against the English and Scotch production of beef. That policy, he thought, \kas very far from the mind of the authorities at Home, because the position of the Home producers at the outbreak of war could not be forgotten. New Zealand farmers, especially in the south, were asking: Why not a free market within the Empire? Why not place us on the same footing as the Home producer and place a tax on foreign countries producing meat for the Home market" Any administration that attempted to fix the food of the people would not stand for a day at Home, and he failed to see how New Zealand could establish its claim for a free market until it put its own house in order by removing the existing 25 per cent, tax, which Le understood was levied on goods of British manufacture. With regard to prices, Mr Mann said that even before the waterside trouble the freezing companies were unable to give any assurance ns to the quantity of meat they

would be able to ship during the next few months, and that uncertainty had been intensified by the further dislocation of shipping. The position being so, it was impossible to make sales on a c.Lf. and e. basis. While in the north he found that theer was congestion in the stores, and that fat stock was going off in oondition, raisers taking it as a favour if they could get their stock into the works. Here in the south he found that there waa more space. It was difficult to tost the market with regard to values, Thaye waa a maximum price fixed at Home, and in anticipation of its removal by the end of March he learned there had been some speculation, but how these speculators were going to fare ho did not know. It was difficult to say how the market was going, but he was quite safe in saying that the value of meat here in New Zealand would have to be more in accordance with the maximum price at Home before he oould operate, and that would entail a slight reduotion on the present values. What he wished to convey was that after the controlled prices paid by the Imperial Government the producers here would be faced with a reduotion of values of beef and mutton. This did not, of course, refer to lamb. Furthermore, the consolidated rate for killing, freezing, and turning into money on the other side had, he understood, increased from (mutton! and l|d (lamb) prior to the war to 5d to-day. That difference had to come- out of the value of stock and meat, and it was patent that it must reduce the - value of the meat to the New Zealand producer. Mr Mann said that he had paid a visit to the Burnside sales on Wednesday. Notwithstanding the low prices ruling, and despite the additional slump, the values would still be against c.i.f. and e. operators -—that was, bearing in view the maximum price at Home. With regard to the American market, Mr Mann drew attention to the cablegram from London the other day, saying:— “ There is considerable congestion in the refrigerating stores in England, and owing to large arrivals of meat the discharge of steamers is much delayed. Large quantities of New Zealand lamb are arriving from the United States, from where :t is being re-exported owing to the poor demand there, better prices being obtainable in England. British importers are not disposed to purchase New Zealand lamb ahead, as it is understood that the March killings cannot be shipped till August.” Mr Mann said he had always maintained that the British market is the best possible market for colonial produce. When it was understood that the control was to be taken off on July 4 of last year the South American traders made strong efforts to have the maximum price removed, and had many shipments of chilled beef to meet that position when it should arise. This meat being in a chilled condition, and there being no maximum price, would make much more money on the market than in a frozen condition. Mr Mann said he had no doubt that the American buyers, in seeking our best New Zealand lamb last season, also had in mind the removal of the maximum price at Home, as, were the market free, the lamb would have made from Is fid to Is lOd per lb. The Minister of Food, however, stood firmly to his guns, and although the meat control was removed the maximum price on all imported frozen and chilled meat was maintained. Mr Mann says that the evidence has always pointed to the American public being a beef and pork-eating people, not a muttoneating people, and the fact as stated in the cablegram that the lamb bought by America last season is now being sent to the London market, bore that out. The market for New Zealand, as he had stated, was the Homeland. WHEAT PRICES. CONFERENCE OF GROWERS. WELLINGTON. March 1. The Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. W. Nosworthy), the Wheat Controller (Mr W. G. M’Donald), and the Assistant Wheat Controller (Mr A. Smith) met in conference a number of representative wheat-growers to discuss the price of wheat for the new season’s yield. Later the members of the conference interviewed the Prime Minister, who afterwards stated that the conference, which had reached no definite decision as yet, had indefinitely adjourned.