THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7014, 1 February 1901, Page 6

THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

■ ■ . • ■ : — ■—+ : INTERVIEW WITH MR JOHN COOKE. Mr John Cooke, an, old Christchurch identity is at present in town,, having 1 taken advantage of his presence in New Zealand on a pleasure trap, which included the Sounds excursion^ to run np to Ghiistchurch and renew old acquaintances here. A representative of the ."Star" yesterday had an interview with Mr Cook©, for the purpose of ascertaining his tLsws and opinions generally upon . the frozen meat trade in Australia and New Zealand, and more particularly upon what we may term the " lamb crisis." Mr Cooke's connection with the irade^ which saw. its inioiation locally to a great extent at his ! hands, prior to his leaving, fer Austrailia, some twelve years ago,.- is so well known, that the presentment of his views requirea , no elaborate introduction. Tha trade, although established in Austaralia "before taking root in New ' Zealand, was in a languishing state when Mr Oooke took up his residence in Australia. It was, in a great measure, his effort/ which mads "these dry bones live," aid. he has, since that time, nelped at the foundling of a large number of freezing companies in New South Wales and.; Queensland. All these concerns, although experiencing the material handicap of a five years' drought in Australia, have proved successful, and even at Deniliquin, which is quoted as an ex--treme instance, an average, of only four or five months having been worked annually, the business has been, made profitable. Asked as to the totals shipments of Australian mutton amd the ports of shipment, Mr Cooke stated that tha mutton was shipped almost exclusively from Newcastle, Sydney and Melbourne, only a very small quantity, and this of not very satisfactory . quality, being despatched from Queensland. The annual aggregate export had never exceeded 1.250,000 carcases, and in 1900 had fallen just short of . 1,000,000. la his opinion, despite the ravages of the protracted drought, whitab, , 'had decreased the flbckaof Australia by near--1 ly thirty million sheep during the last eight years, ithe present rate of export would be about obtained. With three or four favourable seasons/ he was quite oooavinoed i that tie trade could be trebled without in any way impairing the flocks of the country. . With regard to the export of lamb from Australia, Mr Cooke said: that the principal exporbitog ports were Melbourne and Adelaide. The quality and quantity of lambs treated in Sydney were more or less unsatisfactory. The annual aggregate export; while 'expanding steadily, was not : likely to . exceed 400,000 carcases for the next year or two. ■ It is, however,, .important to note, he added, that the quality \ and ' average "-weights have of - late displayed considerable improvement-.. • i Questioned as to the disposittoitt of the farmers to this year retain their ewe lambs, Mr Crook© admitted) that this disposition did exist in Victorial ,• la many 1 ______^— a— a— B— l— ,,— a ___ I _ I

' ■ ' ■ ■ ■ : ■■■•■■ •'.'■■'■ -..-■■• ■■. ;■.■.'.'•}"..■:'''%' cases lie had to make purchases of wetter lambs only. He did not think this was due to any speciafy foresight on the part of. the , producers, with a view to preserving .the .characterof their flocks, but, the/ reWrviartaqii liras mainly, owing to the. special demand, for. breeders that was anticipated-,, for . restocking, .purposes., ;He had foreseen years ago that this crisis would . eventually ■■ come in. New Zealand, and .-'had warned the prodTicersV of at? imminence. -He did ; not think j either; that the worst effects of it had yet been felt. What astoajijfedi : him was •. that- .they had^not :been'_ softer : experienced, ansi '].&$ -cpuld (-only. ;~assuifie' * tS»at;.t;h:e- eviL-day hadlbeen : stayed^ qff,,;in. : -GanterbuEy, at any rate, by \th> bringii^t in of sheep from p£her provinces. „ : ..~' The question of .the relative., , values :on .the; London, market pf . Au^ralian v aiid ; 2*ew Zealamd lamb next, cropped up. ; , .^Knowing intimately' the- quality of prime Canterbury and prime Victorian • and Adelaide ■ lamb, Mr Cooke expressed himself as somewhat surprised that ; there ■ should still be a difference in favour of .the former to the extent of : nearly Id psr lb._. He was. convinced that this margin would be steadily but sureiy reduced, ThY , lower price brought by Australian lamb, was mainly < due to . ; the fact that -. it reached the market at an inopportune time, rather than to any dif«> ference in afcs quality, compared with lamb ' from New Zealand. The Australian lamb was shipped during the last quarter- of the year, and consequently was marketed in the, United Kingdom, from .December -to March. Thus, while losing the best, period of consumptive, demand^ it did 1 not com« into competitive conflict . with the New Zealand article, which was. mainly marketed front. March onward. This circußMtftße©, was manifestly to • the- advantage of b&fca Australian and New Zealand producer!, and there was, therefore, small chance w the. Australian, trade prejudicially affecting Canterbury lamb interests. The palpaUa effect -that frozen lamb is becoming mm* and more saleable in * England ttooughout the -whole year would, •in has opinion, . still further, tend to prevent ainyincieaaed competition, between Australian and New Zealand lambs. . ; . ■• -'• A; suggestion that Mr Coofce would b» ' both surprised and gratified: to find: '&• . very Mgh prices fanners are now securing for their lambs, compared witihr the rate* ruling; in his day, brought only .a, qP«i-fied-assent. Having taken sucK la- d«ep # interest in the dnftJation of the Canterbury krnb- trade, he expresscdi niiaself . as naturally delighted to see the firm JhpW t^he article bad taken in Great Britain, and; to note the enhanced values that demand haa produced. At the fiame -fone, Ihe cojifepes to considerable apprehension . as to the effect of the present high prices oar vfcha consumptive demand. AH meat exporters have learned, through the medium of tiieir. account sales, that high prices invariably led to greatly reduced consumption. ; THe : consequent • reacfaon is generally, yery ' severe. : Personally, has experience :^m: that ;a Bteady raiige of. profit«blo . prico was better for all concerned, afi.tho. mo? ment either mutton, lamb or beef reached abnormally high prices, other and ohceipwr \ foods were substituted, . and -St.; wa» wm* 1 '.. time before., the, trade regauißd its former 1 footing. When tib®. prices ;oif th« frozen. 1 article got within measurable distance 1 , of those of fresh meat, the demand' for the former invariably dropped to" ah. alarming extent. . He was very much afraid; that a wholesale rate of from 6d to 7d pep lb for Canterbury lamb weuH have a disastrous effect. Violent fluctuations ot ths market were very ddsoouraging, alike to the buyer and the seller, and should be avoided as much as possible. We aU knew that 5d per lb for lamb laid down?, in London was remuncraiLivo to th* grower,-, and his interests would be ; better served, Mr Cooke thinks, by a steadyi regular return of 12s 6d to 13s- each far lambs on his farm than by 1 getting 15s or 16s en». season and 10s or lls during two or thre« succeeding ones. There. ' was afeo 'the i danger, of letting other countries get a' feeting on the market, and from facts in .his possession ; this contingency was cocsiier.ably -less remote than many people ga^e it credit for. ■ If, however,- .tha proaest high local prices- for lambs hud the effect of temporarily reducing the export aad keeping the -lambs in this country, considerable benefit would result in one ,dire<s-< tion, as the rate . of the export of lamba' to the flocks of tihe province was posi-' •tively alarmmg, and must, if con'tjpJlfid,' sooner or later lead to a grave crisis^ One feature which had astonished' him greatly was the rapid expansion in the export of mutton from the North Island, correspoadingly with a decrease in the Soutii.' It, was heedless' for him to express. the opinion i ] tha'fc : the excessive export ' of ffcfwn 1 the latter must still further, oceantuatte l t&u& relative ' increase 'and decrease. \.,?..'& •■■■:■ Asked) whet "effect they draught had, had . on the export of beef -from." Au^rajia^ Mr • Cooke stated that- it "was-r only. necefeSaty. for hion to say that the value of bullocks in - Queensland had doubled ducing the^ i lasb twelve months, aai& /that almdst aU the freezing works in that colony . are at? •

:th* mcrtajfty ]has been Very grea/U His •latest advices were that tfe& drought still wmtftraed, and nJha* prospects tot &• re--open&g <& tW w<ftfas xwd» iw* at all «a- - lsttfe l»rf -we Wng |«o%ped to EngianA from Australia aft all *fc pPßseab, as xSttmßy everything swafil'*Kte was going to Africa, Morita, and other outsttde places. ; Imterrcgsted m t» "wtoefflter these were 'lann profitable <jtnifots, Mr Coot© replied '.that itfcey were for the time being. But local competition, for new oonsamgitive maa> iksits was becoming so keen, that the anaqjin of profit was steadily disappearing. "Wlben. it was realised that the storage facffiitaes ware limited and wry pnm.jt&ro, tib© insane desire to exploit any aard Vvary new market, was certain to emd disastrously, amd to lead"\« iieavy I<*S8«8 -aid much heart-burning. * - Mr Cooke, asked whether hs' had. Ob- , sarrod tibe f growth of. the New Zealand! beef eoqsoiptttrade, replied ttat lie Jiaid, amdi .bad «3so observed wvfibt pleasure the hanced prices secured -'.for beef <rf New ZeaUsuod origin. He thought, •hwrover, that New Zealand cattie farmers should not regard this trade as a permanent one, because Australia and Argentina could, in his opinion, in normal seasons, produce bullocks at little more than half the cost . in this colony. The extraordinary development of tie frozen beef export trade in Argentina was now depressing the English market, and had Queensland been shipping normal quantities it was quite clear that .the .prices current would -have prevented any export cf beef at all from New Zealand during the last twelve months. He believed, however, that NewZealand beef would always secure; a preMnium over tie Australian and Argentine article, simply because it coaild. he substituted, for American chilled "beef, : while tihe others could not possibly be used in this way, " : . ; . •:' • Mr Cooke expmsed tbe opinion that the decrease in the-'-Queenslaid , beef export trad«-Would'prcb" i Vi- be -of some duration. ■fihGifld tie mViwht- break up within the next month or " present export would be jnsfc "aboui ■■•■.,.— ;,j Gained, bui^- it Would take three br y finn good' seasons to produce ;any " '.materia.l expansion: in the- vindustr^Ti Many of the largest and- niost valuable herds had been . almost, entirely wiped out, partly by_ the drought and partly by ticks, E^en on the coast, where the climatic conditions were, less severe, herds had -been materially reduced, from various causes.