THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1424, 4 December 1886, Page 3

THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

(Haukes Bay Herald)

While the depression is very great at present in the frczsn m°at trade, it is absurd to suppose it is due to a glut owing to excessive shipments f om the colonies, as less than four per cent of the Home consumption is of Australasian meat. Canada, last year sent 22,000 tons of beef and 1000 tons of mutton In the shape of live s'ock. The Home production is equal to 1,361,000 tons, live imports total 129.000 tons, and the dead meats eqnal is 935 000 tons, divided as follows Beef 71 000 tons, mutton 42,000 tens, and pig moat 222 000 tone. Last year 778,000 frozen sheep were landed in London, while all the foreign sheep landed during the same year numbered a little over 600,000 The H-.-me supplies of sheep increased from 10.979 000 sheep In 1882 to 12,000 000 in 18*6, while the imDotts of live sheep in 1883 were 1 124 000, bat in 1885 only 752 while dead imports as sheep were 334 • 00 in I*B2. and 1,033,000 in 1835 In 1882 'f* Z*a’and made its first shipment ( f frrz n m at. and in 1885 sent Home 499,000 sheep Great Bri aiu will have to look beyond Europe for her supphes of meat. Taking those countries fr m wh ch Great Britain receives stock, including France, we find that the increase in cattle has only daring the past decade been abont 2 per cent,, or not 8’ fficient to meet ’he wants of population On the ther hand, the sheep in those countries have declined 23 per cent ; while in other European countries, snob as Austria and Hungary, the decrease has been far greater Regarding the United S ates, also, Mr Col man, the American C mmissloner of Agriculture, states that the probab’e growth of population will out«trip the development of cattle, whde of sheep even now imports are made from Canada. In Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, cattle show an Incrc'S'* o f 31 cent between 1876 and 1886, while in sheep there baa been an Increase In australis of •about 15 per cent and in Now Zealand of 20 per cmt. dnring the same period Bnt in Canada there is a decrease of nearly 8 per cent. In the Argentine Republio th* increase in sheep since 1875 is abont 63 per p -nt. the number being now estimated at 70 000 000, against 44,000 000 in 1875, while cattle are at least one third more numerous, It will 1 e seen, therefore, t ! ia» Ireat Britain will have to depend m re f r her supplies of meat on these colonies, Canada, ard South America, while, should the sheep and oattle on the Continent not i c-c-se more rapidly, another market will be opened op there for tbipraeat of meat.