FROZEN MEAT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15317, 13 September 1920, Page 4

FROZEN MEAT.

- Messrs. R. Arlow and Company have received the following letter from their Xondon agents, Messrp. L. . C. Ballautine and Co.,' under d»te July 17th:— We do not wish you 'to foe too greatly concerned the reputation of New, Zealand meat suffering to a, considerable extent as a, result of the condition m which your New . Zealand meat arrived wMlst under the ownership of the Imperial Government. In our opinion, when your frozen meat comes along the -comparison it will afford with previous shipments will be so pleasing as to put, it m the high favor that it enjoyed m pre-war <lays. We. are pleased to note that Ihe grading will be even more . hardened up than previously. The mutton ; market is m a very bad condition. This is emphasised by .the Government reducing Their price to 6d per lb. for cut ewes, from which is deducted cartage from the stores to Smlthfteld. or own 1 railage to any part of the United Kingdom, fa per lb. profit for the wholesaler, and- 2 per cent, commission to the Jiominated agent, representing jd per lb., and bringing the net price to s|d per lb. At the meeting of agents to-day the following recommendation was put forward to tUe >finistry of Food, .namely, to reduce prices of cut JNew Zealand and Australian ewes from Gd to 5d per lb., and cut ewes from £4 to sd. Further, to reduce the price of Australian cut wethers from 8d to GJd per lb. -The object of this proposed reduction was -to help along the sale, for, ..as ,v<;. informed you, .the sheep trade is excessively slow, , and the stocks are ac<:umula:,ti£. .-It was reported that '800,000 AustralicAv a^d .New Zealand sheep weie m storo v\ the' United '.ftiiig<loiu, vis against 150,0.0 lambs. The latter, of course, have ;i very ready sate Indeed, but it is gelUirv extremely difficult to sell* New- Zealand ewes and Australian .wethers and mves, with no lambs ta go w.ith.them. Some v' the nominated agents find it quite impossible to. get on With theii' stocks, aiqd blorage ctoarges are becoming" a' very heavy item. Whether, the proposed reduction . of • price will bring about an Increased demand" of a substantial character remains to be seen, if not; quite a problem presents Jtself as to how. the demand for sheep is to be increased.