BUSY FREEZING SEASON

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 71, Issue 290, 7 December 1928, Page 9

BUSY FREEZING SEASON

REMARKABLE INCREASES HEAVY EXPORTS ASSURED. The meat killing and freezing season in the Dominion has opened at remarkable strength. The latest communique of the Meat Producers’ Board, detailing killings for export between October 1 and November 15, reveals surprising increases in the killings of lamb, mutton and pigs. It is probable the strength of the Home markets has stimulated operations, but all stock are well forward, and the season is early and excellent. Pastures throughout the country are making vigorous growth, and in the Auckland Province have received a fresh impetus as the result of recent showers. Very heavy exports of frozen meat, pork and bacon, for the season, are assured. The following table show’s the number of quarters of beef, carcases of mutton and lamb, porkers and baconers, freight carcases of boneless beef and •sundries killed for export at all works from October 1 to November 15, this season, compared with the corresponding period of the 1927-28 season: —

North Island’s Great Quota. Although for the purpose of brevity, the totals arc Dominron figures, a closer analysis shows strikingly how the North Island dominates the killing and freezing industry, and how, by virtue of its warmer climate, the season in the North is just now much further advanced than in the South. The only contributions of any moment made by the South Island to the export killings given above arc as follows: —Wether mutton, 6118; lambs, 2222; sundries, ' 4497. The most striking feature of the killing season to date is the early and surprisingly great advance in the killings of lamb. Those to date represent an in crease of just over 75 per cent. While that will, of course, not bo maintained throughout the season, it is a healthy sign, and serves to show how eagerly the industry is grasping tho early op- . portunity of very payable values at i Home in a time of maximum production on this side of the water.

Killings of porkers arc over 90 per cent, greater than for the corresponding period of last season. The contribution of the Auckland Province to that result must bo very largo, for pig fanning as an adjunct to dairying is becoming an increasingly important element in the primary production of the country. Tho result, too, points to the success of the efforts of farmers ’ organisations and the Government to foster the pig industry, thus increasing the avenues of production. Killings of baconers and of beef are about the same, but mutton, again, shows an increase of 30 per cent. Sundry meat ex ports are infinitely greater. Bonelcs beef is the only item in meat expor which does not show an increase. Heavy Shipments Ready. ’ Stocks on hand are naturally consid erably greater than at this time lasi year. Tho following figures, with those for the corresponding period of last season in parentheses, indicate salient points in the situaton:—Lamb, 24,273 (13,072); mutton, 31,487 (22,942); porkers. 8492 (4190); sundries, 41,573 (9088). The position is, however, largely offset by the increase in the amount of meat loaded into steamers w’hich arc about to depart from New Zealand. Figures in this respect, with those for the corresponding period of last year in parentheses, are as follows:—Mutton, 30,308 (12,080); lamb, 17,672 (5793); porkers and baconers, 3584 (2374). A separate return issued by the Meat Producers’ Board indicates a growing trade in beef with Eastern Canada and New York. During the first fortnight of November, 704 quarters of beef were shipped to Halifax and 5729 to New York. Vancouver, too, is taking a share, and tho West Coast ports of the United Kingdom are casing the strain on t£c London market, which is so fully catered for by the Argentine. During the fortnight ended on November 22, the following shipments were made to the United Kingdom from the ATgcntinc and Uruguay: — Chilled beef, 209,000 quarters; frozen beef, 8600; frozen mutton, 36,895; frozen lamb, 161,800. The quantity shipped to the Continent of Europe during the same period was as follows:—Beef, 25,500; mutton, 12,790; lamb, 957.

1928-29 1927-28 Beef 12,574 12.510 Wethers 23,4(57 19,425 Ewes 4,(508 2.129 Lambs .. . • . 32,102 18,356 Porkers 11,609 (5,048 Baconcrs .. . 4,753 4,521 Boneless beef . 7 bo/ 9,994 Sundries .. . . 19,527 5.298