FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12913, 2 March 1906, Page 7

FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

SMALLER CARCASES WANTED. At the annual meeting of the Chri-st-•churcii Meat Company on Wednesday, Mr Oilbeit Anderson, in sc-conding- the adoption of the i tport, said :

"The ye_r 1905 hits been o;;e of ihe woist since t_.e- ; iritepiiua of the trade 'for all expcrleiii of frozen meat. This was biouyt about mr-t from the general slowness or rue trade at Home, .itcciijuly by the large quantities of cheap beel wuich oifer;d a. latger margin of profit :o tic retailer, but mainly from the high price in tins.colony. '"Tiie high price in the coL-ny iv;h brought f,b..ut 'through the Siuitbfield marketprice hc.c, November and December. 1304. prices 'being 6d to 6jd' ior lamb and 4Jtl tor niutto". There weie large a.ud extended ordeis sect liom London at- prices which, if ihey did not quite v.";ijr«:ut the high j)rices ;:.>kad by the iarmeii- weie siuh as to cor.sth.Vite a, leecrd.

'" The petition was further aggravated the farmer insisting in a very large number of instances on selling his iambs by the pound and holding t.is stock back until 1:© could obtain a heavy average weight. Having obtained this he informed- his neighbour of his sp:endicl 15turn and the prices were hardened up ail round. The splendid position in which this industry has placed the farmer made him sufficiently independent to hold his stock although at: the sains time lie was making it a lsf;e suitable article for the Trade,

"The price's asked by th« London buyers both for sheep and lamb right on and as late as July shipment were,such as t-o warrant big prices here 'if the, suitable weights and quality had. available; Instead of getting Jambs weighing from 50 to 40.pounds the drafts of lambs weighed from 34 to 50 pounds, and in several instances lines of so called lambs were killed going from 451bs to as high as 601bs. As Tegards sheep, there was a great absence of sheep under 56Tbs, "and an "excess of sheep weighing from 641bs to SOibs. As a consequence, buyers, to obtain stock to fill orders, had to te.kp an excessive quantity 01 weights which 'afterwards proved unsuitable.

'" The orders from London are invariably for prime. lambs mxler 56rbr> and 36Ibs to 421bs, half to be of each grade. To fill the orders taken already in. the usual way of business from 65 per cent, to 75 per cent, more stock had to be taken delivery of by the buyer. This large quantity of lambs weighing from 361bs to 421bs had to be sent -forward by the various buyers. These unsuitable weights were allo-wed to accumulate in London. The position was dangerous and more so ss none of the shippers were able t» convince their agents ih.'t the season and conditions were abnormal. Oh the other hand there seems to 'hnve

been a general consensus of. opinion amongst the agents in London that it wiis not advisable to force fudes. Yarious reports were sent out that the agents hoped to improve matters br selling slowly. Several meetings were held by the Frozen Meat Association to hold up" the marketIt is to be feared that the. Fro/en M; ; .r. Association is of too heterogeneous a character to be of any service to Colonial shippers in such circumstances. Something better must be devised and seme arrarsre■ment come to whereby tl'e agents representing the shippers, ami pot the buvers. can meet f or the better regulation of the Trade. . Ore can only mie-it what Ics been said so often. th:>*- if vp are to holdthis, frnile it- --will.,only bs lrr farmers -grovrin--- what is wanted, nam*!*-, lambs under 401b* ancl sfceip under 601bs of prime quality. " There is no doubt that the disorganisation of tlie .Canterbury 1.-mb ->tkT min ton trade was brought abrnit bv the introduction of coarse North Tslond ewes withe nt the selection of a suitable '-nm. " Now that the flocks in Canterbury have I>een worked up, and the number of s-tn-tions breeding suitable ewes increased, there should be a. chance of getting back to the old Canterbury standard which is so much appreciated." The reports from London all 6tate that our lambs are too heavy and too fat. and that- the old ,vtandard of Canterbury mutton is seldom seen.

'" The total -number of sheep in the colony by tie last returns was 19.130.875. an increase of 850,069 over the previous year. And as a factor influencing tlis Nfuture it may be noted that of this increase 732,061 were females. " Our flocks of sheen are made nr, r.f 5.671.644 male and 13.459.231 females. "Tli3 number of ewes used for breeding was 9.979.184. and of this number 2.911.683 were in the Canterbury district.

"There was a decrease in exports of 264.776. We are safe in that, there ; * this year already ;.. verv" increase in our flocks- ox" over a "million "bead.

" Australia- is also increasing her flocks And shipments of frozen meat. Argentine .increased her shipments of mutton bv over a quarter of a million and. sent large* quantities of beef. This will be followed up year by" year. It will therefore be seen that there will be considerable competition ajid those countries with the best trade organisation will be best nif. " Tliere is one circumst nice-— vnvs that Australia is increasing hev exports of lambs !f is advisable t<> make the hm:bii , "» later where possible. It wi-t- be borae iv mind that the LoTj:ltm sea«rv» t., r lambs is .after »ster to the end of 3v3i-. :)TK i thvi while there is some trace all the vf-jr round .'diipw.nfs. '-'t of nierui lower prices. Wh.-t t'.is mcao-. bsi .y*sc will..b^...recognised when I remind yw'

that the price of lamb was 6£d in February and fell to 4-id in October. No year has shown such a persistent fall."