The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10. 1889. CHEATING THE NEW ZEALANDER.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2298, 10 December 1889, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10. 1889. CHEATING THE NEW ZEALANDER.

We have often insisted that the New Zealand grower receives far less for frozsn mutton than its real value and pointed out that the discrepancy between retail prices of English mutton m London aud the prices paid for New Zealand meat m the wholesale market proves the correctness of our contention. JV to compare these two facts is not to institute a comparison between things that differ for there is no question whatever that a large proportion of the so-called " English " mutton of the retailer which commands high prices is the self-same meat that 1 has been purchased wholesale at less than half the money. In a word the London meat salesmen are engaged m the i paying game of cheating the New Zealander, and reaping the lion's share of the proceeds of the products of our pastures. Here is plain proof of the fact. In the " European Mail " of 18th October " Anglo-Australian writes :— v I note that New Zealand mutton has been again dull, being down 4A a stone. The present arrivals are large, and oi New Zealand we have about 70,000 sheep. Again the question has been asked, ' Where does all the meat go ?' I have been once more talking the matter over with those m the trade, and especially with agantleman who has just arrived with a very big cargo. There can be no doubt that the bulk of the meat goes to the butchers here, who for the most part, sell it again as English, Scotch, or Welsh. There seems less disposition than ever to avow the keeping of colonial mutton. The butchers, as a body, feel that they are having a first rate * innings, 1 They know very well that the game cannot last last for ever, but while it does they will do all tbej can to depress the wholesale rates, and to sell as high as they can retail. It is positively exasperating to pay lid per lb for New Zealand mutton. Yet this is what numberless persons are doing here ! Why do not the breeders take the advice I have so frequently given them and send their personal agents over here to open shops and sell direct." Why, indeed. Ihis course is obviously the only cure for the state of things to which " Anglo-Australian " refers, and it is positively marvellous that so selfevident a remedy was not availed of long ago. We verily believe that the meat exporters of the colony are losing at least half a million a year by their apathy and inaction m this matter. The question is one which should be taken up by our Chambers of Commerce, with a view to giving practical effect to the suggestion of " Anglo- Australian " — a BUggestion which has been made many times during the ptst few years, and which probably could be best carried out by the formation of a joint-stock meat distributing company.