Live Stock Notes

Southland Times, Issue 19387, 10 September 1904, Page 4

Live Stock Notes

(By " Freezer.") Last week' I referred broadly lo the present shortage of sheep and tho conditions affecting the. mutton and lamb market . The chief point mentioned was Iho extraordinary growth in the consumption of lamo'in England, the benefit of which has been chiefly secured by this colony. In studying the boef market we find an entirely different state of affairs. The beef market is suffering from over-pro-duction, and the cutting of prices by North and South American shippers. Ooing back to the three years 'S3, "-fi, and -97 we find that Australia was shipping very heavily, and it ia interesting to nolo the remarkable change which has taken place in.--.fte'relativo positions of Australia "and Argentina a-i shippers of Ji-OZeh beef. In 1896 Australia shipped .■521,000 quarters, Argentina 28,000 quarters, and New Zealand 15,000 quarters. Last year the Argentine shipped 708.000 quarters. New Zealand 92.000 quarters, and Australia only _.■(>'. 000 'quarters. Australia's falling off, of course, is accounted* for by drought, but that she Will riso again is almost a certainty. It is only a question of time when her export will again have to bo reckoned with. The increase in the Argentine's export of beef is astonishing. That country entered the English market with frozen beef cnly nine years ago ' (1895) when her shipments were 10,000 quarters. Up to 1902 the export increased rapidly, but her record of that year of 489,000 quarters was completely put in the shnde by her 190-"* shipments aggregating 708,000 quarters. New Zealand's export alongside these figures is hardly worth mentioning. Her highest yoar was 1900, when she sent away 186,000 quarters, but her export has fallen off agnin, being only 92,000 quarters this year. Values of frozen beef in- England in the early part of this year were lower than thoy had been since 1896. For month* good beef was practically being given' away, nnd no attempt Was made by the vendors to control the market. Tho cause was. not entirely over-produc-tion, for after all, although the Argentine was shipping heavily, Australia was exporting none, and all the while mutton wns selling dear und should have helped the consumption of beef. A more direct cause for the slump was the Argentine somling Home a portion of her prime beef in a chilled state instead of frozen hard., This chilled beef came into competition with the United Statos* chilled and wyis beginning to disturb the Chicago Meat Packers' monopoly in England in the chilled beef trade, it was not to bo expected that tho Yankee would look on (quietly and encourage the stranger, so the fight began, and it is not over yet. It has only been interfered with by strikes in the United States, giving the South Americans a temporary advantage^ As soon as the strikes have been settled the battle will be renewed, for it is rcpor- j ted that the Armour, Swift and Morris crowd are- prepared to lose £15,000,000 before they givo in. It will be interesting to watch tho contest, for although the Yankees* have the moaiey to lose, it is beyond their power to stop the export of uhilled beef from South America, and with cheaper land and cheaper feed the Spaniard may yet give his opponent something to think about. In' the meanlime the Argentine feeders are suffering severely through the value of their prime bullocks, weighing lftOOlh to 11001 b dead, .going down to £<5 per head. The quality of the States and Argentine chilled beef is not exactly the same. There is a vast difference in the quality of the States corn (maize) fed beef and the Argentine beef fed on alfalfa grass, but there is not so much difference in quality when both countries aro fattening on grass in HUirfmer. Tt is true that neither one side nor the other can afford 'fco carry on indefinitely at a less, and sooner or Inter tho market will be ruled by supply and demand. So far as this end of New Zealand is concerned cattle feeders have paid littlo or no attention to outside markets, for their, own market has been ruled entirely by local, conditions. Stocks of fat cattle wero very much reduced two years ago, and local consumption has been sufficient to "Coop the market bare of any surplus. It will "be a fow months yet before we really want outside' assistance and whether wp are getting 25s or 20s per hundred lbs will depend upon circumstances affecting the outside market at the time.