FIGHTING "THE MEAT MARKET."

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 586, 14 August 1909, Page 8

FIGHTING "THE MEAT MARKET."

SUGGESTED REMEDIES. TINNED MUTTON FOE.FRANCE AND GERMANY. • Mr. B: Tripp (president) told the. Canterbury Sheep-owners' Union on Wednesday that since 1805 (according to "Dalgety's Review") thero had 'been a decrease in. the. number of thu world's sheep of. tt),GOO,000, while tho increase in the population using wool was 87,400,000. The number of sheep in New Zealand had gono up to 23,000,000. ' As far as mutton was .concerned the market was just the opposite- to wool. This year was about the worst that had ever been experienced by pcoplo who shipped meat Home. He suggested that fanners should push as much as possible to get new markets opened up. In June last loius of mutton were selling in Paris at 'is. Gd. per lb. But at tho present time New Zcalancf could not got its mutton into France, because Franco. would not accept the inspection mado here. Franca would not let the mutton go in, but they would let horses in and eat them. He suggested that the Government should try to. arrango with France and Germany to send inspectors to New Zealand to inspect the mutton on their behalf, the New: Zealand Government undertaking to pay. their salaries. Mr. Gilbert. Anderson hacf suggested international inspection, and though his report had been adopted, nothing seemed to have come of it. In Now York Is. s}d.per lb. had been paid for lamb chops. Tho Danish people fixed the price of butter in England, but there was no organisation to deal with frozen mutton. He thought that a committee should be formed, representative of all tho freezing works in New Zealand, to regulate tho output as much as possible, and spread the delivery over the year. This would probably involve the erection of cold stores, and could ,notbe carried out without sonio difficulty. At present all the matton left New Zealand in about four months. It would be bettor if the output were spread over the year, . The, committee ho had suggested could work in conjunction with a committee at tho other end to keep tho prices from falling. .'•■,' Mr, D. D. Macfarlane suggested that tho. policy of the American .Meat Trust was to flood, tho English market with low-price mutton, and make their profit out of beef. America was the pet ground of the Meat Trust, so it would not be possible for New Zealand mutton to get a foothold there. He did. not think that there was any chance of getting mutton into the Continent. The remedy for the trouble lny in fiscal reform; Until the British Government adopted:some different fiscal system, England would-be the, dumping ground for any .surplus mutton. If-the producers wore in for a sories of low. prices, their only, chance seemed to be' to rednce' the cost of delivering mutton at Home'. Tho Hon.- T.- Mackenzie had been, endeavouring to bring .the freezing companies of the North Island, together to hold-a conference, but this was likely to'prove a difficult matter' when the representative of onexoompa'ny refused to sit at the.same tablo as the representative of another. ,The shipping companies might be induced to reduce their charges, and pick up cargo at a central port. The.'Hon. Mr. Mackenzie was going to endeavour to discuss this. matter with tho shipping companies, and see. lif soiriething could bq done.

Mr. J. C. N. Grigg said that although somo countries would not acccpt our frozen meat, there was a tremendous-salo for tinned meats. The New Zealand growers could not be expected to accept tiued meat prices, as their mutton was of the best quality, ,and would ' continue to be frozen. But at the present iprices a great deal of meat would:.pay better if it were tinned. Australia, knew 'that very well, and the Homo Govornment. had recently accepted XIOO,OOO worth of- tinned meat from a Sydney, firm for the Army.. He thought that the colonies 4'ould get'most of these contracts, especially as they could fulfil them atJas low a price as the American Trust. .Thero 1 were, .more 'tinning: works in Australia than ■ there were. freezing works.' lie contended that''the 1 glut': would be'got rid of by tinning)-' asrtinned; stuff 'could bo sent all overt- the • world,while r frozen'; mutton was restricted. to %market&'which: were provided with ,cool stores. .' He-considered that soon, tho ..restrictions placed by- various, countries on ' the importation ,of frozen meat would' be- burst up. ■. , Mr. Tripp remarked that in ' some. of tho tinning works in Australia, better prices were given for.sheep, than' at; tho, '