CHILLED BEEF TRADE

Southland Times, Issue 22969, 15 August 1936, Page 15

CHILLED BEEF TRADE

DOMINION’S ADVANTAGE IN SHIPPING Serious delays in the delivery of Queensland chilled beef in England were now caused through lack of up-to-date facilities at‘ wharves at some Australian ports and lack of co-ordin-ation between meat works, railways and harbour authorities, stated Mr C. W. Conacher, general manager in Australia of the Blue Funnel Line, in Brisbane recently. Unless everything was done in Queensland to prevent delay it would be unreasonable to expect operations at southern ports to be speeded up. Mr Conacher said Australia could not get top prices for chilled beef on the London market when the voyage to the United Kingdom occupied from 45 to 50 days, while the voyage from Auckland to London was accomplished in from 30 to 32 days. Whereas New Zealand chilled beef reached England in a fresh, bright condition, the Australian commodity was dull in comparison. It was not yet feasible to consider running a service via Torres Strait, because there was not sufficient cargo offering in Queensland to fill the ships.

For the first time for many years a consignment of Ayrshire cattle left direct from Scotland recently for Australia. They were shipped by Mr A. W. Montgomerie, Westburn Farm, Cambuslang, and consisted of a bull and two heifers to the ordei - of the New South Wales Government, and two bulls and two heifers to the order of the Camden Park Estate, New South Wales. The New South Wales Government has over 1000 head of pedigree cattle and is anxious to maintain a high standard of quality.

The New South Wales Government is continuing to assist owners of small flocks to purchase rams from registered stud breeders. Graziers eligible for assistance are those owning not more than 2000 breeding ewes who cannot themselves finance the purchase of rams. The maximum advance to any one applicant will be £5O, plus freight, with a limit of £4 4/- per ram. Under certain conditions, however, £4 4/- per head will be advanced towards the purchase of higher priced animals. Repayment of advances with interest at 4 per cent per annum will be by two equal instalments from the proceeds of the 1936-37 and 1937-38 seasons’ wool

A horse with sore shoulders is a pretty sorry sight. To fix up a bad shoulder means the horse must come out of the harness for quite some time. A very little attention may prevent this waste. Wash the horse’s shoulder after a stiff day’s work. Use just a little salt in the water. Wipe the collar dry before you hang it up. A real horse man of the old school never allowed a curry comb on a horse’s shoulder. A good brush does the cleaning that is necessary and brushing with the hair on the shoulder is to be advised.

Interesting statistics relating to Romney Marsh sheep have recently been compiled. These have to do with the flock-book registrations and reveal the close attention paid by stud breeders to the matter of maintaining the standard of their flocks by extensive culling. This is illustrated by the fact that of the 46,675 ewe lambs born in 1933 and registered, only 26,428 were put to the rams as two-tooths in 1935, the balance, representing 40.84 per cent., having been culled. A total of 99,910 ewes were put to the rams during the 1935 season. Ewe lambs bom in 1935 and entered in the flock book totalled 46,164, while ram lambs born in the same year and registered totalled 39,421. Registered rams (studs) entered singly during the current year totalled 1297. A serious outbreak of pleura has occurred among the cattle at Mulifanua plantation, Sampa, and the Administration has ordered the destruction of several hundred head of stock. _ The animals are being killed and skinned, and the carcasses are then towed to sea and cast adrift.