COMMERCIAL NEWS

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXVIII, Issue 205, 24 August 1932, Page 6

COMMERCIAL NEWS

MEAT TRADE MUTTON AND BEEF New Zealand’s interest in the Ottawa meat agreement naturally centres on mutton and lamb, for the. Dominion is Britain’s chief source of overseas supply for those products. The latest official figures concerning meat imports into Britain relate to 1931 whereas the 1932 quantities are to serve as the basis of the “standstill agreement.” In 1931 the mutton and lamb available for consumption in the United Kingdom were derived from the following sources: —

The value of the British market for the disposal of New Zealand mutton and lamb, and an indication of the manner in which the trade has developed are shown in the following figures as to carcases: —Year 1922, New Zealand 7,776,071, South America 4,096,276, Australia 2,753,052; Year 1931, New Zealand 10,275,870, South America 6,513,860, Australia 4,749,387. The United Kingdom’s importations of frozen and chilled beef are also drawn almost exclusively from the same three sources, but the proportion supplied by New Zealand is relatively insignificant, compared with our marketing of mutton and lamb. South America’s pre-eminence is clearly shown in the following figures:—Year 1922, South America 5,069,219; Australia, 727,547; New Zealand, 316,782. Year 1931, South America, 5,865,552; Australia, 788,866; New Zealand, 150,814. In recent years, therefore, South America has supplied about 80 per cent, of Britain’s import requirements in beef. During the “meat battle” at Ottawa Australia and New Zealand desired that Britain’s 1931 import figures should be taken as the basis in fixing the quantitative restriction instead of the 1932 figures, which were estimated to be smaller. The 1932 figures have not yet been announced, but a cablegram published on Tuesday places the Argentine exports of beef to Britain at about 5 per cent, below

the total in the previous year, or say, 5,500,000 quarters.

BRADFORD TOPS LONDON, August 22. The Bradford tops market is Jinn with fair business passing in Merinos and fine crossbreds.

Tons. Per cent. Home-grown 320,400 47.5 New Zealand . 173,473 25.7 South America . . 105,266 15.6 Australia 76,602 11.2