FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16267, 18 July 1918, Page 9

FR OZEN PRODUCE LETTER.

SUPPLIES AND STORAGE,

SMITHFIELD IX 191"

I orE ei*Ecix. cnnnEsrnvDKvr.> LONDON, May 14. rj-jjo British public at this period is kin* forcibly fed with frozen meat, that'll frozen meat constitutes {be main portion of the output under the rationing schome for tho present months. It is curious to note that protests from the butchers and public ire coming in from some districts because of this, and in one or two cases «here local retailers have refused to trade in the frozen article the Food ./Vnntrol Committees have applied the 1 impulsion of the Defence of the Realm Art—affectionately nicknamed "Dora and have sold the meat themselves specially opened premises. It is the policy of the Ministry of Food to force this frozen meat consumption imtil English cattle are off the grass. COLD STORAGE.

At the present time the inadequacy nf the cold storage accommodation available throughout the country is causing more and more concern as the warmer days draw nearer, and this vLk all the public cold stores at the Ws and in inland towns are said to U practically full up There are htill knee quantities of bacon to arrive, «Mch will require storago, and how the ffliintry is to manage it is difficult to ™ gome provision will apparently have been made for the stuff—which is lamely mild-cured or green bacon to te hiKh-smokcd or otherwiso preserved. The public ration of bacon has been Hnnbled and cfoubtless later this will be made a free meat so that it may not ■ v! wasted. Then it is fully expected Sat in July and after greater quantities of frozen meat will be coming to these shores, and the public cold storbeo will then also be sevorcly taxed. \fe are reaping tho fruits of neglect of refrigeration in Great Britain. WEST SMITHFIELD LAST YEAR. Tho London Central Markets at West fioitofifld are neany half a century old —the forty-ninth annual report hom tia Superintendent, Mr J±. w. <a. Millman, comes at a time that may be said to te ominous for the old maiket in present circumstanccs, for Government policy in meat control has made bis dead meat markets something approaching a superfluity. Last year the Stel u-eicht of all produce handled at the Central Markets was tons, a 14.6 per cent drop on 1916. and a *„,lina of about 33 l-3rd per cen.t. in M 4 Supplies from all sources ex►spt Canada and tho United States have Sued in volume. Beef, i* pre-war Havsformod tho bulk of meat distributed in the London area, the quantity of beef .for IJI/, Spared with the previous yea., •tinws a decline of o-J .Y° l ff it is moro to the serious diminution {n the volume of mutton and pork Sable that tho scarcity and consequent all round high values fr °m Man* of last year onward must bo nttri bated. Regarding the course of the niarket, Mr Millman says that it may be a mere coincidence, but tne m and "ut" of port loss of the s.s. Rotoraa in March last was followed by ! a continuous falling off in Australasian supplies to the market, and an allround hardening of values. I- ' RHONDDA POLICY. \ ' The Market feuporintenacnt does not omit giving his opinion of _ ltnondda I Dolicv in regard to moat control., xie remarks that much has been said for and against Lord Rhonddas MeaE (maximum) Prices Order, especially as regards its bearing upon cattle producfimf this much must be conceded, the "Order" enables the meat producer, .for the first time in the histoid of the trade, to know exactly the , top falne. to expect for dead meat. Tne "urder," however, will, especially during these days of meagre supplies, tend to break down the ordinary systems of trading, and the usual functions of meat markets. Tho outcome, so far. as London is concerned, is the formation of tie "Lbnd/>n and Counties Wholesale tyeat Supply Association," membership being limited to tenants of the Central Markets, and other persons engaged in wholesale trade within the London area!.' ■ Briefly, it is provided that the "Association"* haß power to f (1) purchase supplies, receive consignments, enter into contracts for supplies; (2) raise funds for the purpose of purchasing suppWes; (31 make inter-working iarranw»inents with similar "Associations". in.Great Britain; rquitnblv d'fHbute punnlies to retail traders within the London area.

LONDON'S SUPPLIES AND > PRICES. - London) of course, has always occupied a special position as regards the character of her demands and supplies of. meat, and here Mr Millman, in his throws into the strongest contrast the two classes of supply, home and oversea. London, ho says, always depended upon the world'b surplus meat supplies. The origin of the < neat did not matter, so long as it was cheap and plentiful people were contented, and although the very abundance of oversea mont was driving home productions off the markets, it required a European war to bring home to Parliament and its administrative Depart.meats the fallacy of a policy apparently • > antagonistic meat production within the British »lcs. Oversea supplies to the mark:* in the prewar yoar, 1918, aggregated 332,963 tons, and had in . 1917 .J' opned to 134,030 tonß—a decrease f 198,333 tons. In the same period British and Irish supplies rose ft»" 7 A', 148 tons in 1913 to 148.906 tons ui s !Vil increase of 49,758 tons— t .tyJ leaving a deficiency of 149,175 totis. • London, therefore, must continbe to be dependent upon the surplus Wnblies. of' tho world. x and meantime take any home productions, irrespective of apalibr, in couformitv with a system Of distribution to be established for tho mutual benefit of peoples within the - BnKsh Isles. ~ Tbo following is an instructive tabulation of total annnal tonnatresjor meat. nonltry. cto., p<v»- I " - Jioriß. four year intervals from 1873 j ■ to last year:— | T*n. Tonnage. Tear. Tcnnage. I . -jsra .. 15 1 ,£R7 1837 .. 391.707 v 1877 .. I&VS9 1901 .. "8t .. 02-1. fi73 1905 .. 415 °96 WW .. 2«.2t>7 IPO9 450.060 V H52 •• 27M29 1913 .. 432.111 «33 .. 818,162 1917 .. 282,926 't n 8 w .^ esa l p . prices last year the ? folio wing is the list of increases as between th« last «*f»ek of 1917 over the ««ae week of 1916:— Fwdi b»ef—long sides .. 2.1 per cent. » r lundquarters .. 9.5 per cent. , * Rallied beef—foreqnarters .. 11.8 per cent. ' •» roMP beef—hindauurters .. 22 7 per cent. ' ' ' 2\6 per oent. mutton .. 7.2 per cent. *. i, "£*9 Ten mutton (colonial) .. 33.3 per cent. V ' "Pwen mutton (foreign) 35.3 per cent. 'j*®! .. 7.8 per cent. P ol ' l •• •• •• 0.9 per oent. * .ttoaen pork .. .. .. 27.5 per cent. _~?-<On6 wonders how tho history;" of , ' onuthfield will have developed twelve ' ®oatha from now.