POSSIBLE LOSS TO TRADE

Southland Times, Issue 23376, 7 December 1937, Page 8

POSSIBLE LOSS TO TRADE

Early Shipments Of Lamb Necessary

10,000 BALES OF WOOL READY FOR SHIPS

(Special to The Times)

AUCKLAND, December 6.

At the height of the producing season when the port of Auckland is the outlet for exports running into some thousands of tons each week any interruption in the shipping schedules has a serious effect upon trade, involving not only the farmer and all who are engaged in dairy factories and wool and meat stores, but also important city interests and the overseas marketing of produce. “There is a danger that if shipments are delayed that New Zealand will lose heavily on the London market this season,” said a representative of a firm of meat exporters this morning, “and that particularly concerns the farmer.” He added that the good prices now ruling for lamb in Britain could not be expected to continue much beyond January and that if New Zealand did not supply the demand the benefit would go to Australia. Australia would reap the cream of the market and later, when supplies from New Zealand were landed in Britain, particularly after the beginning of the English spring, prices would be depressed. CHILLED BEEF AFFECTED To this Dominion it was, therefore, of the greatest importance that as much as possible of the season’s output of lamb should be shipped within the next few weeks. Chjlled beef was similarly affected and there was a further factor that beef, when chilled meat, be shipped immediately. It could not be held in freezing chambers This was an important stage in the season and exports had been doubled as compared with a month ago The peak of the chilling season was just ahead and farmers who catered for this new trade had their live stock in the best condition for marketing. Up to the present they had received highly remunerative prices and given reasonable facilities for shipment they were assured ot a good season. , . , Another leading exporter explained that the season’s programme for chilled beef would have to be entirely reviewed if a delay occurred and meat companies would have to be guided by the assurances they had received from ship owners. If shipments were interrunted purchases of live stock from farmers would have to be stoppe . How the farmer would be affected would depend to some extent on the season, which, at present, was unfavourable for the heavy stocking of pasture lands. „ “The stores are lull up, said Mr J. B. Marquet, president of the Auckland Woolbrokers Association, when asked the position of the wool exporting industry. He indicated that at least 10,000 bales were awaiting shipment and that stocks for the next Auckland sale towards the end of January were arriving from all parts of the province. To cope with the position wool was being piled up to five or six bales high in stores, which involved much additional handling compared with the usual practice ot stacking up to three or four bales. WOOL MAY BE HELD IN SHEDS Unless the pressure was relieved by earlv shipments farmers would have to be told to hold their wool in sheds and this would upset the progress of operations in preparation for the second Auckland sale. “We had a rotten sale,” said one of the principals of an Auckland wool firm this morning, “and now we have this trouble on our hands.” He added that following last sale arrangements had been made to ship wool in the steamer Port Hunter and the motorship Port Hobart. The bulk of the wool was to have gone by the motorship Waipawa and, in the ordinary course of events, she would have been loaded by Wednesday night. He said that they had wool on 50 trucks at the Auckland railway station, about 1000 bales, and they were unable to take it into the store. Among the smaller export interests affected by the .present trouble . are those of fish companies. At the present time freezing stores for fish in Auckland are full to capacity and it is stated that unless a shipment to Australia is made within the next few days companies will probably be compelled to impose additional restrictions on catches.