IN GREAT BRITAIN

Otago Witness, Issue 3526, 11 October 1921, Page 10

IN GREAT BRITAIN

OUR PRIMARY PRODUCTS. (From Ouit Own Correspondent.) AUCKLAND, October 3. “ I do not think there is anything very cheering in the outlook for coarse wool and heavy frozen meat in Great Britain just now,” said Mr James Bell, of Hawke’s Bay, who arrived from England and America by the Niagara. Mr Bell said that when the coal strike was settled a little improvement was noticed, but stores were still full of coarse wool, although line wool was selling readily at good prices—better, in fact, than before the war. In America most of the sheepfarmers had two years’ clip on hand, and Scottish and English farmers had last year’s on hand, and were expecting another clip in a few months. Crossbred wool from Now Zealand was mainly sold at one price offered, and not even bid for. When in London Mr Bell said he ottered 150 bales of his own crossbred wool for sa’e, but only half was sold at an average price of 5d per lb. On the previous day one of the best crossbred clips of the Waikato had been sold at 6£d per 11>. The Australian systern of putting a reserve price on their wool seemed to be working well, and something of the kind would be of benefit to New Zealand. “My advice to sheepfarmers,” said Mr Bell, “is to do their shearing before the wool becomes seedy, as that sort and shabby wool are practically unsaleable in Great Britain. Nothing but fleece wool should be put up, pieces being kept bv themselves-” Speaking of the market for frozen meat, Mi Bell said lamb and light mutton were selling well, but ewe and heavy wether mutton were almost unsaleable. The consumers in Great Britain did not like heavy meat in summer, but heavier grades might sell in colder weather, although the general opinion was that there was little chance nl heavy mutton improving in price ful-

some time. Some of the stale meat the Imperial Government had released from storage and offered for sale at Smitiifield was stated by Mr Bell to have been almost unfit for human consumption. The stores in Great Britain were very congested, and if only the heavy meat and coarse wool j could be sold to the European nations on easy terms it would be of direct benefit to Britain and her dominions by clearing the markets. Investigations at Elome led Mr Bell to believe that profiteering was still going on, and that middlemen were getting too large a profit. The best Scottish lamb, he said, sold for Is 8d per lb in London, and was retailed at 2s 6d to 2s 9d per lb. The idea of New Zealand farmers selling direct to the retail butchers of Great Britain was good, but at present the obstacles in the way were too great, and the monopoly at Smithfield too strong.