TRADE WITH INDIA.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1411, 22 December 1884, Page 2

TRADE WITH INDIA.

The following correspondence has been received from Bombay in reply to a cablegram sent by Sir Julius Vogel, Colonial Treasurer, to Governor Fergusson, asking for information as to probable market for New Zealand frozen meat and woollen fabrics in India : f rom the Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, Bombay, to the acting Undersecretary, Bombay—- “ In reply I am directed to state that if the frozin mutton can be laid down in India at a price that will compare favorably with those ruling here for fresh mutton, and it the woollen fabrics, provided they are of suitable description, can be laid down at prices to compete with importations from Yorkshire and Germany, tha Committee of the Chamber have no doubt that a market will be found for both. Everything depends on prices. The Committee would recommend trial shipments.” From the Secretary of the Bombay Trades Associat ion to the Under Secretary of Bombay—"l am directed by the Committee of the Bombay Trades Association to state that they do not think there would be sufficient demand for colonial frozen meat in India to tender jimportation remunerative, for the following reasons (1) The highest price that tha very best kind of meat fetches in Bombay is four anna, or say 3|d per lb ; and »s large cargoes, consisting of 5,000 or 6,000 carcases, of Australian and New Zealand frozen meat are sold in London wholesale at 5Jd or sj*d per lb, and retailed at 7d to 9d, it is not likely that meat can be imported to Bombay at a much lower rate, or retailed under, say, seven annas a lb, (2) Consumption would be very limited, as tha natives would not touch meat slaughtered or handled by Europeans ; and of European and native Christiana only a very few would pay more than double tha price of Indian meat. The superiority of New Zealand meat to any Indian meat but the very beat grain-fed mutton is of course admitted. (3) The consumption, small as it must be, would be limited to the Presidency towns, as fresh meat is much ■heaper in the Mofuasil than in Bombay, And were mutton clubs exist it is so good Shat no one would take colonial meat in preference, even it they could get it. In regard to woollen fabrics, the Association vould beg leave to refer the Government ;o the Chamber of Commerce, as the New Zealand manufactures are apparently unknown to the tradesmen who have been mnsulted on the subject,” The Municipal Commissioner of Bomlay writes to the Secretary of Bombay as i ollowa :—“ As far a-s the Island of Bom- i iay itself is concerned, the Frozen Meat 1 issociation could not hope to meet with i ny success in the proposed undertaking, i ut at the same time I she no reason why \ he Association should not iqeat with en- j ouragement were its efforts more directed i 3 wards supplying shipping with frozan i mat. The consumption of beef in the c lipping is considerable, particularly dur- 1: ig the fair season, when we have in o irbor naval and Indian marine boats, i oop ships, and besides a large number of b arcantile vessels, and if the quality of h

the meat is what it ia assured to be, there would, I think, be no difficulty in its findins' a ready market in the shipping,” Colonel La Touche, Cantonment Magistrate at Poona, writes The frozen meat referred to would certainly find sale to a limited scale amongst the Christian classes, as it is much cheaper than either beef or mutton, bat it will not find market amongst the other classes) of people, such as Paraees, ’Mahometans; jews, etc., as thes.o classes of people will not touofi any meat whicft ia npfc killed by a Mahommodan Moolah, or by one of their castes ” The memorandum of his Excellency Sir Eerguaaon ia as f Mows ;—“As a rule meat supplied in the market is poo compared to Australian and New Zealand meat, but vary good m at can bo obtained by the larger consumers, and generally ‘ to Government House is mail u-i-. . , . little, if rt all, intenor. * many Aunpoans would pay somewhat higher prices for a really good arficle, say fid to

7d per lb, instead of 3d to 4d. Ice can bo procured to any extent from the Ice Manufacturing Co., and arrangements could be trade for storing meat, us in London, yhere is no town in Bombay presidency

with so large an European population as would make it worth while t > send the foreign meat there except Poona, but the native meat is somewhat cheaper in Poona than in Bombay. The Commissariat, who are large consumers, would certainly not buy meat at 4 1 orsd, when they can produce or buy it at 2i to 3d A large portion of their supply comes from the Government farms. New Zealand goods are not at present known, neither is their price stated. I know them to be light in texture, warm and durable, and [ feel sure they would bo admired. Whether they would be taken up by wholesale importers in competition with established British stuffs is a difficult question of I trade, in which the comparative price would be a considerable factor. My impression is, that while an experimental shipment is the only reliable test, no opportunity so favorable ran be obtained as that which would be given by che Bombay International Exhibition at present proposed to be opened in December 1885 There might then be a refreshment room opened, at which colonial meat, soup, etc, might be eaten, and colonial meat of a similar kind be procurable on demand Woollen goods might also be procurable as well as exhibited. Calcutta has a much larger European population than Bombay, and the market for colonial meat ought therefore to be larger in proportion. The natives, as a rule, both insist on having the meat killed on caste principles and prefer it fresh killed. Some of the Farsees would eat imported meat. ” *

In a letter to the Under-Secretary, Bombay, dated 18th inst., Sir Julias Vogel thanks the Government of Bombay for the information offered, and expresses a hope that it will lead to the establishment bf commercial relations between this colony and India.