MEAT FOR CALIFORNIA.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 13071, 10 May 1913, Page 6

MEAT FOR CALIFORNIA.

I AMERICANS JUBILANT. SAN FRANCISCO, April 7. This city is sizzling with talk of Australia owing to tfie introduction of Australian meat to the Ualifornian metropolitan market. Middlemen, to whost rapacity is attributed the high cost oi living, experienced a veritable death blow When a recent statement, issued by Mr Arthur Kidman, the Australian' meat export-ex, was noised throughout the Pacific Coast, wherein he declared : "If the octopus were permitted to purchase meat, cheaply and -sell it at a big profit^ m Canada -and the • United States, neither producer nor -consumer would receive any benefit. Therefore, the seller m Australia will dictate the selling price across the Pacific. This will result m good prices for the producer and considerably lower prices to the consumer than at present." .According to a widely-circulated statement at San Francisco, millions of pounds of Australian beef, mutton, pork, and butter shipped to the United States m. refrigerator steamships will soon flood the irtarket of San Francisco and other American cities, and lowe,!* the presenthigh prices of meats to the consumer.The fact that Louis Schweitzer, of Schweitzer and Co.. of San Francisco, had journeyed to Sydney to close a eon-' tract for all the available re/rigeratinj space on the three liners of tho Union Steamship Company struck terror into the hearts of the Meat Trait officials, who for the last few years* have dictated prices on the Pacific Coast. Mention was also made of the efforts of -Swift, Armour a,nd Co. at Brisbane, and Mr P. E. Quinn, who is now m charge of New South Wales affairs as actingeommissioner at San Francisco, was authority for 'the statement that hundreds of cattle longs of Texas and other Southern and. Western States have signified their intention of going, into the cattle .business m North Australia upon a bigger scale than ever before attempted. Already eoncefisions, it is reported, have been arranged for the taking) over of vast portions' of the more than I>ooo,---000. square miles of virgin territory which., is adapted to the raising of millions.'of sheep and cattle annually. Admiration isi expressed m San Francisco that the Commonwealth is arranging, to take charge of the slaughtering,) f reciting, and sale of the meat products; upon a national scope, andi keep prices ! upon an even basis. f PROSPECTS AHEAD. | ... "All this made possible on account of a recent ruling issued from Washington," said Mr Quinn. "Tho United ; States Department of Agriculture has ; decided that the inspection stamp plac- j i ed upon- meats by the inspectors of Aus- 1 tralia niay be admitted into the United ' States. The effect of this has proved quite satisfactory, for we have learned . that the American meat-eatexs are ready . arid anxious to purchase the meats of Australia. Every vessel of the Union line arriving at San Francisco has brought consignments of meat, which are being eaten r,ight m San Francisco > by persons who doubtless belieye r they are partaking, of the American product. i ' "A consignment of mutton and" lamb j shipped on the Moana. was sold, wholesale at the rate of 7_ cents a pound, and this after payment of duty. 'Some ' pf this lamb sold to the consumer for nearly 30 cents a pound. This proves that somebody is charging a big profit. "One humdred and fifty ships of the refrigerator' type are taking frozen meats from Australia. , Many of thea4 soon ' will begin' to land their cargoes ;at San ■Francisco. This should result m a ; lowering of prices. When the Panama Canal' is opened for commerce, a , big I population from Europe may be . expected to the. Pacifies 'olope^ (and, if ' nothing is done about the meat situa- ; : tion, tne price would go so high, that' j but few persons could afford the; luxury:; t Mr Schweitzer understood the situation { when he left San Francisco for . Aus- ;■ tralia, apd his action will result ire many!! others following his example. •■.,!,.'■ . _ ' It later transpired that 1000 Z head of beef' amd agreater number of sheep and « lambs have been: contracted, . for^. and* it is proposed 'to sell for 7 cents ai pound beef which is now sold by uthe* MeatTrust and independent, wholesalers m Kin Francisco for Hi cents a pound.. Local consumers will be the direct beneficiaries. Tho reduction will not bQ.,,cQn-p finod to beef, as niutton, which itf;hqw* selling at 11 cents, will be sold ''for 7$ cents, while choice cuts of spring lanib, •which now brings 13 to 17 .cents. ;* a pound, will bo placed on the market, fo? about half that price.