LONDON MEAT TRADE

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 515, 24 May 1909, Page 5

LONDON MEAT TRADE

' WEAK DEMAND/ NEED FOR REGULATING SUPPLY. " AN EXPERT VIEW. ; Tho cablegrams from London with rospect fto tlio state of the meat market havd foi . isomo time been vory disquieting, and oppor tunity haa boon takon of the presence in Wei lington of Mr. H, G. Wnrron, of Nelson. Bio , "thws Limited, to gain somo information, bj,"to the extent , of this rathor extraordinarj :position., i ' • Leas Purchasing Power. ' •' ' In discussing the Mr. Warren said that tho meat trado at Homo .wae in ». ■ very unsatisfactory and depressed condition, alnwst entirely brought about by tho abspne« of purchasing power on tlio pnrt of classes, '. who aro tlio principal cousuniors of frozei.'. moat. This depression, which has been an > parent for the past twelve months, bae'beoi growing more aouto during' tho exceptionall; ■ severe winter in Great Britain. It has beoi ostimatod recently that owinc to tho genera ■ stagnation in trado thero wero 2,u00,00( pooplo out of employment, and botweet 3,(X)(J,000 and 4;000,Ut)0 who wcro only inpartial employment. Assuming that in normal times tbeso pooplo only spent la. a.week in meat, it is a simple sum in" arithmetic to ascertain tho amount of money lost, to the meat trade. In tho meantime frozen meat continues to pour into Great Britain in large quantities, from Argentina and 1 Australia, no well as from Now Zeatand, and there in so far practically, no improvement iii tho domaml. ■ ' -". ■ ..-.-,. - ■■■' ■ The unsatisfactory condition of affairs has, Mr.Wanon adds, been further aggravated by a considerable quantity'of last season's'mutV ton and lamb boiu2 in storo at Homo and unsold at tho beginning of this yoar, which' had to bo disposed of with eomo difficulty at nominal prices. • > Ovor-eupply •■ Peculiar Seasons. '■ • "■■A. review of tho last two freezing seasons in Now Zealand throws'somo further daylight on tho present situation/ The season of 1008 was ii broken one. Stock fattened fairly well in the carly.part, but it will bo rcmciu- : bored that tho summer of last year. (January and, February) was oxceptionnlly dry, and as. a result thoro was a shortage of feed, .and stock did not fatten ns it .would under, ordin-' .nryoonditions, and, consoquontly, tliore was a decided-' Blaokoniiig off in killing operations and shipmonts. ;■ Thon caino the rains, i tho pastures .rovivod, and all tho works wcro in ; ; full operation durinc May and Juiio, and tho shinmonte pfmeat wero heavier nt the latter ond of the season than usual.' . This season., has boon a completo reversal, -There had boon - nit i excellent winter j and stock, fattened rapidly and in much larccr proportions and in iflhortor timo than usual;. so that tho good lato 'season ot 1908 has been followed by aphenomonally good early'season this year. Uuriiig 'tho first {our months of this : year .an un-; usually largo quantity, of meat has been shipped.from tho North Island,' while that ; from the. South Island has assumed considorablo ' proportions during" the past, three mouths, and tho increased.imports into Great Britain from Argciitjnn and Australia have arrived in a congested market, in which/tho domand is comparatively very limitoilj for, reasons already oxplaiiicd. r '■- •.■■■■'_ '••■■:'..'■'■-• --Besides tho very largo proportion. of Homo-grown meat, it must be remembered that ft conßiderable quantity is imported fresh into Great Britain from the ■ Continent (principally from Holland); but jn sympathy with the goneral. depression in the moat trade, tho value of Home-growh and also Continental meat has failed very considerably. '-.%■ ... ' ■..■: .: "', . '■'. . ■' '■■■ tLam^— CQJit of Storage, "v , . . Tho lamb season in New Zealand, and "especially .in tho North leland, has been jan exceptionally good one, and it is evident that the shipments will show" a considerable inoroaao. It is Worthy of notice that Argen>tina!has entered largely into: the lamb trade now, as the ehipments from that country" this year iiro greatly; in; excess of any previous oxpbrtations.:; There is, howoTor, a ■ probability of the value of lamb in England improving, as thoro is generally a, hotter demand for this meat during the summer montus! • •>■■ ■-.-■y'..-': . ■•/:!. r '■''■'. -..'••■•■' ■;■ ■ :

Consequent on.tbo congestion of meat in . ( England, cold storage of ovory description W at a premium,:and is being engaged everywhore toiprovido accommodation, for w< meat arriving. Nelson Brothors , agents in London possess storage accommodation foi ovor 200,000 carcaesos, but havo already hao tocngago outside. space, and practically all the other .consignees or importers, are in a ; similar position. ■ Undor tho circumstances sales of moat are" bound to he delhyod, aid, as it is the custom of agents or consignees (with only one or two exceptions) to make an additional charge for any storage beyond two months, this extra ohargo will .become a serious consideration to consignore who have already had the bad fortune to meet a low. market. . '■■>.' , ■"■'; •, ■■. , ~.■., ■ '.•,., The Remedy. , ; '",; Tho remedy, says Mr. Warren, for the oon-( gostion of stocks at Homo is swrago at this end, It is obvious that fat stock,must be : killed when it is primo and roady, hut if the freezing companies would increase tho storage capacity of' 'their works, shipments could moro easily bo regulatod : and distributed over tho -wiiole year instead of being forced ; on to tho Uome market within about half . that period. A more oven distribution _of shipments would uiidoubtodly,: benofit' the 'shipper of tlio meati-'as , tho Home market would bo loss disorganised, bottor prices could bo obtainod, and' additional Btorage charges would be avoided. . . ■ ' : Mr. :Warren concludes that tho genoral impression at Jlomo seoms to bo that there will bo iio marliod improvement in the state of trado generally '.throughout Great: Britaini until there is a chance of Government and tariff reform is instituted, cnaWmg British and coloniar producers; and. manufacturors to oompot« BUCcossfuUy with foreign procluo- , tions.; . v'■ i- ■•,'■ ■ : ' : ' '■ '■■ . •■::.-■ '•: ■ ;- ; ;- •' ■.'' : : LONDONMEAT.MARKET. ... .;',,. Tho Now Zealand Loan and Mercantile' Aconcy Company havo received tho following onblegrom from their London house •.-- l'toi*n Meat.-Averago prices: Mutton, 2 a-luo.i lamb, 4d. i and beof, 25d. Tho lnnrltpt for frozen mut-. ton and lamb is depressed owing to heavy arrt Vflls." .'■ . ■-, ' r-:- ■ ■'' - ■■'.'■.. ■■..-■ :