OUR MEAT AT HOME

Wairarapa Age, 27 October 1926, Page 5

OUR MEAT AT HOME

ADDRESS BY MR. R. S. FORSYTH AN INTERESTING SURVEY. DOMINION’S STRONG POSITION. A representative gathering of Wairarapa producers assembled in the Masterton A. and P. Association’s room yesterday to hear an address by Mr. B. S. Forsyth (London manager of the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board). Mr. Forsyth spoke in a particularly interesting and informative way, and was listened to with evident appreciation. At the close of his address he answered a number of questions, and was accorded a hearty vote of thanks by accusation. Mr William Perry presided and in introducing Mr. Forsyth said the latter was representing the whole of the producers at Home, and the board felt it advisable that he should come out to New Zealand and get in touch with the farmers. That would be his endeavour while he was in the Dominion. Only by this means could the farmers receive correct information regarding marketing and general conditions on the Home market. INFORMATION FOR PRODUCERS. Mr. Forsyth said he was very pleased to be back in New Zealand after three and a half years, to talk to his constituents and tell them about the conditions in which their meat was marketed at Home. He was definitely of opinion that the fullest information should be given to all producers in New Zealand about the meat trade.

New Zealand, Mr Forsyth went on to observe, held a very strong position on the British market. This position was even stronger than he had expected to find it. The three principal countries exporting meat to Britain were the Argentine, Australia and New Zealald. New Zealand sent Britain more mutton and lamb than the other supplying countries combined. It was pleasant to be able to say that the prices obtained by New Zealand were very much better than those obtained by Australia and Argentina. Better prices were secured by New Zealand simply and wholly on the score of quality. He could not stress too strongly the importance of keeping up the quality. Argentine mutton and lamb did not bring within id or lid of the New Zealand prices. He could not emphasise too strongly tho importance of breeding and grading tha, right type for the British market and seeing that the meat reached the market in the best possible condition. A COMPETITOR’S PROGRESS.

Argentina, Mr. Forsyth stated, shipped more mutton to Great Britain than New Zealand did, and the quality of the Argentine mutton was improving—there was no doubt about that. Argentine mutton used to be laughed at in Smithfield, but this was not so to-day. Argentine ]|roducers were getting better stock and improving their grading methods. They had even taken people from New Zealand to assist them in grading their lambs. The quality of Argentine lamb was not as good as that of New Zealand lamb, due, he thought, to the different class of feed, and also to the breeding. The Argentine carcase was longer in the leg and not so well finished a s the New land la.nibi At. (h e g a me time the Argentine lambs had an excellent bloom and were of good goherai appearance. It was when mutton and lamb was frozen out that the superiority of the New Zealand product became apparent. The fijual test of meat was “on the plate,” and by this test New Zealand lamb was as »ood\as, or better than,’ British home-killed lamb from Wales. This, Mr. Forsyth added, was not his own opinion only, but the opinion of many people in England. BARGING AND HANDLING.

Describing the handling of New Zealand itie&t Iff England, Mr Forsyth said that the steamers from this country discharged at docks distant eight or ten miles from Smithfield Market. The bulk of the New Zealand meat was taken up the river in insulated barges. Last year, the proportion thus handled was about seventy per cent. The barges were quite suitable for the purpose. There had been a considerable amount of criticism of the carriage of meat bybarge, and it might be of interest to explain why this form of transport was utilised. The Thames bargemen, were a very close corporation—almost as close as the medical profession—and their business was quite payable. They had a charter dating from the time of Charles I. which made them free of all dues and taxes on the River Thames. When the Port of London Authority was constituted it found that it could no! charge tho bargemen any dues 0:1 the goods they handled. Meat and other goods carried, by barge thus escaped wharf dues- of 9/9 per ton. This practically covered the cost of conveying moat from ship to store, and explained why the bulk of the meat was conveyed by barge. BETTER METHODS.

The Meat Board, M|. Forsyth observed, had been very closely watching the handling of meat when it arrived in England with-a view to improving the condition in which it reached the consumer. Ho had appointed an inspector whose duty it was to be at the hold of every steamer unloading New Zealand meat. The shipping companies were cooperating heartily. They were as anxious as the board to see that the meat was landed in good condition. Mr. Forsyth gave examples of the improvements effected. For instance, the former practice of dragging slings of meat for a considerable distance, to the damage and detriment of the carcases, had been abolished. SMITHFIELD MARKET.

At Smithfield, which was the principal meat market in England, the accommodation and facilities were not as up-to-date as they might be. Originally Smithfield was a market for frosh meat only. It was owned by the city corporation of London and "was absolutely a public market. Anyone eould walk in and buy a carcase or a couple of carcases if he had the money to pav for them. It, was one of the safeguards of the meat business that they had an open public market at Smithfield, and he hoped that this would long remain the positirji. Many hundreds of butchers attended Smithfield every day from five o’clock in the morning till about mid-day. There was no auctioning. The butchers wont from stall to stall looking for bargains, and all the business was done by private treaty. A very

large part of the meat sold was beef. The South Americans used Smithfield as their distributing market for chilled beef. This went straight from the ships’ slings to the market, as it had to be eaten within a few days of arrival.’ The amount of meat that went though. Smithfield last year was 480,000 tons, between nine and ten thousand tons a week. Of the total, 128,000 tons was nrutton and lamb, and New Zealand supplied over half of that quantity. Between fifty and sixty per cent, of the meat that reached England from New Zealand was distributed from Smithfied. There were 385 stalls in Smithfield. Of these, 150 stocked fresh home-killed meat only. Of the remaining 335 stalls, 190 stocked New Zealand mutton and lamb. In addition to Smithfield, fhere were provincial markets at Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Birminghati and elsewhere, and New Zealand meat was always to be bought at any of these markets. The American firms operating in London, Mr. Forsyth stated, were one very important channel for the distribution of New Zealand meat. These firms were forced by the butchers to stock New Zealand mutton and lamb. The ordinary good butcher wanted chilled beef, but he also .wanted New Zealand mutton and lamb, and the American firms which supplied chilled beef were compelled also to supply their customers with this mutton and lamb. It was a unique thing that the Americans were thus forced to stock and sell the meat of their trade competitors. QUALITY AND POPULARITY.

Mr Forsyth said that the head of one of the principal American firms said to him: “Well, we don’t stock y«ur stuff because we want to, but because we have to.” Hundreds of people in London had told him, Mr. Forsyth added, that until the war period they were prejudiced against New Zealand meat. Being then compelled to use it, however, they had become aware of its quality, and had been buying it ever since. War time experience, Mr. Forsyth stated, had assisted greatly to establish New Zealand meat in the favour of the British consumer. The meat contracts of the London County Council and other local t authorities specified New Zealand mutton and lamb only. Practically every butcher stocked New Zealand mutton and lamb and ticketed it. He had never seen Australian meat getting this advertisement though Argentine chilled beef did. All the large English stores of the universal provider type sold and extensively advertised New Zealand lamb. This was all very good propaganda to the consumer. RETAIL PRICES. Two years ago there had been an outcry at Home in regard to retail prices. He thought the butchers who had been making big profits during the war had not yet got out of the habit. However, he thought the retail prices now were at a fairly reasonable level. Living twenty miles from London, he paid, delivered at the door, 10id for forequarters and up to 1/2 for legs. That price would compare very favourably with present-day prices in New Zealand. Once a week the supervisor of Smithfield* published a list which he (the supervisor) thought was a fair .retail price index for the meat then in the stores. These were published in the papers and Mr. Forsyth considered them quite reasonable. PROVINCIAL MARKETS. They had not quite the grip desired on the market in the North of England, but they had to conquer the local prejudice for lean meat. Hence it was only the second grade New Zealand meat which they purchased for the first grade meat was not suitable for their taste. Scotland was a big competitor with New Zealand in both mutton and lamb and it was only before the early Scotch lambs came on the market that the board could compete with them m their own territory. This was also a factor against New Zealand meat getting higher prices, as Scotch lamb was sold at down to lOd for paddock lambs and 7d for hill lambs, and the Consumers would only pay the competitive price. CHILLED BEEF. The early matured Argentine chilled beef had a strong hold on the Smithfield market and it was sold every day for 5d per lb and under. It was excellent quality and well, butchered and was a strong competitor with New Zealand beef. The low price of beef did not affect the New Zealand lamb prices as lamb was more of a luxury, but it certainly did affect New Zealand mutton prices. As chilled beef had to be consumed quickly after arrival, the market had to be skilfully regulated to witl/in a few hundred earcases. From this it was quite obvious that New Zealand would have a rough passage if it entered the chilled beef trade, especially when the Argentine know exactly what New Zealand had on hand and. when it would be going forward. The South Americans had been over supplying the market with beef which had affected prices of mutton. The big proportion of New Zealand ewe mutton, averaging 43 per cent, last year of the mutton exported to England, bad had a similar effect. When placed on the market it was classed merely as mutton and consumers had no guarantee that when asking for mutton that they were not getting a big proportion of that ewe mutton. IMPROVEMENTS IN BEEF FREEZING. The Cambridge research station, Mr. Forsyth continued, was at present experimenting with refrigeration of meat .-.nd apples, and he had hopes that Now Zealand would derive more benefit from the correct freezing of beef than from chilling. The exports hoped to find a moans of protecting the tissue so that the meat would retain its flavour ar d nutritive value better than at present. Unfortunately, the Continental people were not mutton and lamb ealfcrs. and he thought that all that could be lone in that direction was to develop a trade in low priced ewe mutton in the event of a rise in beef, which was their staple meat diet. The board had opened tip a sound trade, but the Argentine was also a strong competitor. NEW ZEALAND PORK. There was a gro.‘)t field on the British market for New Zealand pork and the quality of that which had been sent, so far was thoroughly satisfactory, though* they asked that it be made a little’ leaner. The bulk of New Zealand pork was of bacon weight, and had been sent Jo the bacon factories for curing. All users had spoken well cf the quality, but they wanted continuity of supply. They had to make'bacon in England every day, and unfortunately New Zealand pork arrived only for four months of the year. The embargo pry/rnting the importation of meat into Britain from Europe would

materially assist the demand / or New Zealand meat. This embargo had left a lii'le of 30,000 tons of pork, mutton :iml cal which Now Zcal.-.i..1 could help to f . ' 31' CC ' . .CATION. Those in ie trade ar. Home had welcomed tie sard’s efforts in regulating the supply, which gave them some security in catering for ,their consumers. Referring to the results achieved in dealing with shipping freights, insurances and other matters, Air Forsyth said ho was sure the producers would I** er have achieved so much under the old system of every company negotiating for itself. Tl/*y had not had much success in reducing cold storage rates at Home, which was a big factor, as almost every carcase of New Zealand meat had to be put into cold store on arrival. This matter was being considered by the board. He felt sure the producers were getting a fair deal from the retailers.

Mr. Forsyth answered a number of questions, some of which are reported in other columns, and was then, on the motion of Mr. G. H. Perry, accorded a hearty vote of thanks.