The Frozen Meat Trade.

Southland Times, Issue 9362, 30 October 1886, Page 2

The Frozen Meat Trade.

Mr W. 0. Buchanan, Ohairnian of the Wellington Meat Export Compaoy, has just issued a circular to shareholders and stock owners, ia wlucli the position and prospected of the frozon meat trade are exhaustively dealt with. Mr Buchanan,., refers in detail to the charges for freezing, freight, insurance, and in London, He urges Btrong reasons why no monopoly in the ! trade should be allowed to grow up. He says: — "It is a well known fact that the whole of the spuce at the disposal of the two Stripping Companies ia already • engaged up to June next, and that the efforts which have been made by this and other parts of the colony, for booio months past, to secare outside space, have hitherto signally failed. It is also Well known that the Wellington 'district' -.has -secured much less of .the "available "space than was successfully filled last season; and with the increased supply of meat which is sure to be available upon the opening of the Manawatu Company's line in November, a ruinously low ra.ige of prices for stock seems inevitable. We may have weekly cables announcing that frozen meat is .selling at' 'prices which would leave us handeome returns, while we knov- that 'numbers of steamers are laid up in English docks, but under existing circumstances we cannot avail oursalves of them. Are we then to remain help • less in the matter, and ia there no escape iroui this position ? Reference has already been made to the means by which a substantial reduction in meat and wool freights wan secured last year. By means of the latter article, aa well as other produce, shipped from New Zealand, we have a most powerful levnr in pur bands. Ample freight can be secured by way of Sydney or Melbourne, or by charter of outuitio vessels, to load in New Zealand. Ail that is necoßß«ry,tb.erefore, is, that each settier should at onco instruct his agont to arrange his wool and produce freights only upoii the lines above indicated. The directors of tuis company only require that their bands may be strengthened by the support of those interested, and they have no doubt of being iible to put the freight question upon a smud basis. No doubt the freight ultimately fixed must be one which pays shipowners ; but if the present plan of fast steamers fails to pay, it will hive to be done by leas expensive ones. This will also settle itself if only monopoly of any kind is broken down, and the trade ia carried on upon ordinary business principles, It is further also important that Btuukowners should fully lealise the fact that moderate rates of freight are only possible if the ships are steadily Oiled throughout the year. If we wish to ship only bo aa to catch the highest English prices, and vessels consequently have ac limes to go empty, they must necessarily charge higher freights to baiauce this. There is no doubt that tne best plan tor all concerned is to ship steadily throughout the year as the sheep are fat. In this way vessels will be alwaya filled, and the producer will find that if he takes his average price for the year, he will have done far better than by any spasmodic attempt to secure the highest price only. This is not stated merely on thooretical grounds, bat it is fully confirmed by the experience of those who have pursued this course from the first. The directors have, therefore, no hesitation in asking all those concerned to folly recognise this as a fixed principle, and make their applications for spaoe accordingly."