FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16429, 24 January 1919, Page 8

FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER.

U.K. REFRIGERATED IMPORTS. A NEW TRADE FOR IRELAND. (FROM om SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON, December 10, 1918. Sundry relaxations of meat orders made by the Ministry of Food are indications of the easier position which, is ruling with regard to meat at., the present time. For instance, not only are offals now coupon free, but several other classes of. meat-'are put on the free list, and it. is now possible to get a good fillet steak in the London restaurant without the use of coupons. Meats, too, havo been freed for the Christmas season, and it is interesting to note that whereas a fortnight before Christmas frozen beef and muttcn will be mainly available in the Provinces in the following week a double ration of English meat will be issued to the Christmas trade. The cold stores of the country are very full of frozen beef at the present time. Smithfield has lately been getting fuller supplies of meat; last week, for instance, showing a total of 4487 tons, as against 4121 tons the previous week, the meat marketed including over 200 tons withdrawn from cold stores. Imported beef formed' 33.6 per cent, of the beef supply, as against 27.8 per cent, of theprevious week. Mutton was 32.6 per cent, of the beef and mutton supplies', .as against 32.6 per cent, of tho previous I week,'and 40 per cent, in normal times. FROZEN MEAT IMPORTS. It is a pleasant sign of the times that during the present week the monthly Trade and Navigation Return for the "United Kingdom, issued by the Board of Trade, ha% -after a Jong lapse, in-

eluded onco mors the detailed figure: of meat- imports, which. for military reasons were kept secret during tin recent years of war. It is interesting threfore, to give these totals, which. ar< now to hand for the first eleven month) of 1918, as these show the proportioi of the various contributions to the Bri tish larder during the last phases ol tho war. Frozen beef in the poriot named came from abroad as follows:— United States of America, 2,849,899cwt. value £14,823,386; Uruguay, 170,350, £770,594; Argentine Republic, 1,660,582, £7,725,197; Australia, 551,609, £1,976,733; New Zealand, 444,706. £1,570,364; other countries, 865,355, £4,291,965; total from all sources, 6,542,501cwt, £31,164,239. Frozen mutton imports were as follows:—From Uruguay. 42,978cwt, value £227,510; Argentine Republic, 629.291, £3,162,154; Australia, 26,168, £85,774; New Zealand, 1,144,668, £4,585,693; other countries, 61,309, £256,122; total from all sources, 1,904,414cwt, £8,317,253. Frozen pork was imported from U.S.A. and other countries. U.S.A., 66,878cwt, value £471,970; other countries, 21,516, £144,335; total, 88,394cwt, £616,305. Of butter imports the following totals are of interest:—U.S. A., 166,787cwt, £2,061,139: . Argentine Republic, 256.068. £3,072,794; Victoria, 21'7,281, £2.725,445: New South "Wales, 210.409, £2,618,480; Queensland, 122,769, £1,519,689; Now Zealand, 337.415. £4,156,164; Canada, 41,731, £522,481. DEAD MEAT EXPORT FROM IRELAND. Ireland is now in fair 1 way of gaming a new phase of industrial prosperity by reason of the establishment of au important undertaking recently floated, with a capital of .half a million sterling, under the nam© ofi the Irish Packing Vjompany, Ltd. This concern, the chief figure on .wlibse Board is Sir Arthur du' Cros,' Bart., JVl.p., the proprietor of the fambus Duilop rubber enterprise, has beei set on foot with the object, of exploiting in Drogheda, Dublin, and elsewhere, the meat animal resources of Ireland in the form of a dead meat trade as contrasted with the- live cattle industry, which has for so long a time been a cross-channel feature between Irish and West of England ports. For instance, last year no fewer than 888,866 head of live Irish cattle came to Great Britain, of which 405,047 were fat cattle ready for slaughter. It stands to reason that if any considerable portion of this trade can be handled in' Ireland itself, with the development of all the attendant byI product trades, considerable increased ' gain will accrue to Irishmen and there will, it is estimated, also tto a saving „ j of meat food by this better regulated I operation, as live cattle transport by I sea is always a wasteful and unscientific j business. The n«ew company is now | equipping two. factories at Drogheda I to deal with up to 3000 cattlo a week, and for the tanning of *±000 bides per week, and in its prospectus it antici- j pates a profit of between £3 and £4 • per head, which gives a respectable 6Uin of profit on a year's dealing- on such a v scaio, equal to the capital of the •company. The company's operations will < i ultimately include the treatment of j i sheep and pigs, and it -is to be noted ■ . that last year Ireland sent Great Bri- j tain over 400,000 fat sheep for killing, and 1 186,000 pigs. The loss of 8„ per | cent, per carcase of cattle which it is , said is involved in sea transit works' out at the value of a million sterling in th© price of fat cattle alone sent from Ireland annually. One or two ;nteresting points I hear in connexion with this new undertaking. The first is that the Linley process of moat sterilisation will bo applied t<f the company's plant for treatment of the meat dealt with, and secondly I believe the consulting "engineer to the company is a well-known Australian refrigeration and meat works expert, Mr W. H. Medcalf, who is at present chief engineer of the cold storago section of the Ministry of Food.