COMMERCIAL.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18408, 15 June 1925, Page 12

COMMERCIAL.

FROZEN PRODUCE ( LETTER.

IMPROVED LAMB BUSINESS. ? ARGENTINE BEEF WAR.

. (FROM OCR SPECIAL CORHESPOXDEXT.) LONDON, May 7., There is every reason for congratula-; turn on tho better course of business in the frozen lamb trade, which has developed- sinco Easter.. It is all the niore satisfactory that ..tho demand for white meat up and down Great Britain lias progressed and expanded during the past month, in spite of ,an extraordinarily long continuation of weather that is almost wintry right up to the middle of May. Reports from all'the leading population centres record a larger output of lamb in.the retail trade.' The irate at which frozen • carcases aro going into consumption is stated in some, quarters to bd as much as, 200,000 per week on total. If this.is .not an exaggeration, ity marks- a considerable rise on-this time last year, and .should prove aj good augury for the continuance of good prices throughout tho .summer. The fact that New Zealand 2's aro once more past";-Is in value in Smithfield epitpmiscs tho .bettor, business - now doing, and it is to be hoped that the present drag in dctnand- for- heavier carcases will disappear .shortly. Not so good an account can..bo given of tho frozen mutton, trade; just now, although thisis expected to improvo as the weather.grows warmer. Ewe mutton, is at present,a' drug in tho market, and. liivor Plate carcases are a strong competitor of the* "Colonial" meat. ' Eenewed Chilled Beef. Glut. The earlier forecast given■•'. in <this column of a new, beef war. among "the, Argentino exporters has found its first, .iustification during v tho past fortnight' in the collapse of*the markets here consequent upon heavy importations of chilled beef. The, inevitability of this occurrence is toovwcll known to need any further description here, and. all that can bo said,,is that while Argentine beof •' holds a~ virtual monopoly as a>tandard so long.'Jvyiil. Dominion beef producers have;- to-'stand by tvith tho sword . of': Damocles changing oyer any effort ..which;they can makq'in fc furtiyo attempts to earn . profits, on iheir production. ,The road to/a*hapjier .position seems long and wearisome. Science' is callod upon to reveal revised ipethdds of caraiagOjand storage; breeders are exhorted to improvo and amplify '•;• their stocks; statesmen aro.canvassed to enact helpful,'legislation; and so '■■:. tKq; campaign proceedgi MeanwiUile the boef' Iwds of South America periodically fly q't each other's throats' in an apparent battle.; for supremacy. Obviowly they 1 ■'■■',..niustrbo, losing great sums of money in over-cheap marketing; only, their.ramifications can < enable them to save their -position by gaining on the swings' what ,thoy lose on the round-abouts. . - ' Effect of Competition. v. this, internecine.struggle-bc-' 'iween .the Argeritine'-beef exporters is r «t'. serioua one' evidenced, by *flio public '• annountfemont* made^; ;; this )':■!■ one''of ithe' smaller coiripeti-.; : .-.'"c^'i.Jtprs : .ui ! this market, namely, the Engand Dutch. Meat Co., Ltd., that it '.-.'..' '■'■ "vndjß, '■'■ itself , ; ;connpelled,in thevpircuni-. .'■'.'■'.; "'sli&ric^s^'df arising 'durhlg 1 the last ferw months to reduce .-:■' its shipments to aminiirium—in ifact, ;..'■-. to stand' oy ivith fires ,damped down and watch the conflict proceed. This •conlpany the present fightt* among the big exporters has caused ■:th6.price of cattle.m to '..':-,' to' such ai figure that it is quite j impossible to Argentine meat to ';-:■■ Europe; without; considerable loss. ;, '"Hence-that company will deduce its rrin- ;! expenses to; the ttttaost limits com- . patible with the keeping up of its, full ' organisation, so as to be abfe toresririie • shipments; as; soon as things are easier. ':.'•>The-;general ;feeling, it addsj' is that thisoanhcrb'belong delayed*" , , ;: , Beef. letter goes, to imail there is .;; arriving in this country a small trial: '; shipment, of beef: on tb,e Port Darwin, ... which left' Melbourne, Australia, ■ on ; : ' March ;10th~ and hM'carried 6a a long, : ■ eight>weeks! voyage thiß meat under a , chilling: system newly: exploited by the i ;:; j Perfect Process Proprietary,l/td.,; .ft;, Vic;tbria;with a capital of £IOO,OOO. The: V writer will be able: in his next letter. ■: 'to: record- :the measures of euccesß at- :: tending 'this ; experiment, which some '.■•'. .iiettplesay from, the nature of its ap-:-'-;\'..;^-piiTOtus! i .reoallß--.''an.- old Australian sys-'.-<'.V:V;: i and dafrostmg estab^' ;<: ;: f lishdd' more'?than v 2O years ago> The ~-;,: .jnieatV^ifc'is 'stated, has cool attemper-.>../,';aJ^:vair..;blown-:;,'oiv!er.,it through air: ;:v]alyes, situated below andi above the: ,::. ; hanging Kdoksi s One of the subscribers: ;■:., : to^:theiexploiting' company,-is Mr:A. ■ i X^The'hew; Meat Hahdlinpc Regulations ' :-.put ; into force by the ; Ministn? of: v BCealth last month are the subject of ~f-/^onad ;eections?of the meat;tradeiwhich,'under ; the ; ;h in.sdmocases to re-equip itself for the prescribed protection of vitsimorcharidise against contamination. as the 'importing and wholesale end of the concerned, it is felt that the ; regulatiipnav-'wdre ■ not really specially ;•;■ desighod (for that section of the busi- ■ , JnesS, but for, the markets iind:: retail . branches. -• For instance,'"the ' precau-tidna.which-.'i'are stated to ;bo required ...against contamination;6f the-meat in the" butchers shop 'quite ; , liwiecessary in the .oireihnstances v ot'j vhandhrig wrapped carcases fromv the . slup,;to, store, and the-cold stores:themV- selves are loudly protesting against the ;'.;..','-..-;-¥TOHibition' of ineat;"being allowed to ,' ccme- ; mto contact -with, the 'ground cold storage :•':;.., chambers. ; : ::

.WAIMATE GRAIN MARKET. \ yZh%*l—Go?& lines, are still coming on to I the jnaxkat and ere "being readily absorbed it fixed prices. Good fowl wheat is ■worth 6s^d*.o.b. Oats are weak, and in view of the threshing returns, the prospoota for record prices do not appear bright. A Garton* are worth 88 5$ B .'? andetgwdft 3i. Duns 8a to 3a 6d. < Algerians Ss 9d on trucks. Eotatoee--Oa»*imarket is Yery dull and con.suming centres appeaT to he over-euppliod. Unless an outlet can be found is Australia ■which"' appeam unlikely, prices must keep lon. for the remainder of the season. Whites »m-worth. £4.' Beds are not enquired for. Linseed—Worth £ll per ton. Chaff—Good bright £4 on trucks, undergrade not enquired for. Tartridgo Poas—No.' 1, 5s a oushel, f.v.q. 4*"Tsd. ' Cowgrtss is enquired for, good quality be- , inf worth 10d per'lb. The grass seed market ia •lifeless. . ■ ' BUTTER: CHAMPIONSHIP, , v ' t '{BtXCUX, TO "THB PMSS.")' • , ,»""•' WEMiiseTON. June 14. -*ltfas'»u&aersiood that the: Cambridge factory has won the butter championship of the ' ' ' Show at Falmerston North. <