MUTTON AND LAMB.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 407, 16 January 1909, Page 6

MUTTON AND LAMB.

COMPETITION WITH RIVER PLATE. " NOT VERY CHEERING." (BX TSLEGBiPn.—SrSOIAI. COIIftESI'OHDBNT.) Ghrlstchurch, January 15. Messrs., Kaye, and Carter, Ltd.,. have received from Messrs. Gilbert Anderson and Co., their London agents, a report of the meat market, under date of December 4, which contains ■ the following interesting, though, not perhaps very cheering, passages:— 1 "During the last few weeks, the market all round has been very depressed, and trade 'has been very slow. As one walks round the Smithfield Market, it looks very deserted, except for the fact that the stalls are full,of meat, but the buyers are not to be seen.i The Dutch Article. " This time of the year is always'a bad time for the colonial trade in' frozen meat, owing to so much Dutch meat arriving. This year there has ; been more than usual, about '20,000 carcasses of mutton and lamb being each week marketed for the last two months. These are expected to keep up until February. This meat is of good quality, and quite fresh, being killed one day in Holland and forwarded the "same day to Smithfield to be sold, and has to be sold at the best price obtainable, nothing being held over until the next day. As low as : 4d. per lb. has been accepted for Dutoh this-week, It will bo seen that it is a hard job to obtain for Canterbury meat anything like this price. Inferior Canterbury Mutton. . "As far as the Canterbury mutton is concerned,'to the retailer it is a thing of the past. .Vfery few, still buy it, and' then only tor the brand, certairily not. for the quality, wnich is infe'rior'to much of the North Island and River Plate meat. It must be admitted that, as far as mutton is concerned, River Plato have the pull over New Zealand. Their shipments' are' regular, their meat is better butchered and graded, and is .also better looked after, Although River Plate has' to travel-only half the voyage, • they them. With a bag. which is a proper bag. .This bag lands' .the meat in_ a very bright oondition, and it is an exception to hear of surveys for iiisuranoe for damage on Plate goods. The retailer wants an article upon which he can depend; he docs not want Canterbury one week, and then,.find no supplies are coming for a further four weeks. When he starts on an artiolo he wants : to go on with it, and this he ean_ do with the Plate, ■ regular shipments arriving every week/and the! price being reasonable, and one at which he can retail at a profit. j

A Bright Spot: Quality of Lamb. VAs regards lamb, however, Canterbury holds the top place, and we cannot too'' much' impress upon the New Zealand farmer not to' lose it. There is no doubt that Canterbury lamb, even when frozen, is'far ahead of-both English and Scotch lambs, and the proof of tms is that, especially in the London season, it is; sold largely as English and Scotch. The prejudice'against frozen meat has quite died oiit_ here, and people ask for Canterbury in preference to the' Home 'article.: A few .'years ago no English butcher would - sell, frozen jamb.' He nOw has found that if he vdoes not he will lose his customers, and the majority of;butchers in the English and Scotch trade now sell frozen meat. . / Bad Times—No Spending Power. '•We do 1 not expect to see, prices improve until after the new year'. Trade all round is deplorable, and people, simply have not' the money to spend, and the retailers are'not giving, credit except to-.those they know are safe. ; This means .that they have less money to spend on meat, and, therefore,'they buy a_ cheaper article'and less of it..-' IfJthiscon-tinues.-.we fear . that , they,;,will-have' to', go back to the timo before, thc' intfoduction of frozen meat,, and . live, on bread andvcheese, except for an. occasional Sunday , dinner -of meat.

FROZEN MEAT.

■LOWER PRICES PREDICTED., (BY TELEGBAPI£ PIIES3 ASSOCIATION —"COPYRIGHT.) m' - „ , 'London, January 14.'. Hie Colonial Consignment and Distributing Company s annual:,review, of the frozen meat trade lower prices 'for theourront year than prevailed last year', as i the purchasing power js restrioted, nnd tho rate of meat consumption can only ;be maintained at low prices,. ■- ....