SAVING THE LAMB MARKET.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 624, 29 September 1909, Page 10

SAVING THE LAMB MARKET.

ACTION or LONDON A.GENTS ■Reporting on tho reqent London gathering, of. frozen.-'.meat; operators who; met to devise steps to prevent a collapso in tie lamb mar-; ■ ket, the special ■ correspondent of 'tho "Pas-' toralists''lteview "; says:—; , > .- -> . At' this, numerously.- attended, meeting .Mr;; Goorgo' Gftodsir. pointed'out' that the present-; .stock .of Janibs'.ih'.the'-'lJnitcd Kingdom w|as-' iptobably a: million cartasses,. and that ship-', mbnts .wou!d: : lik'ely bring the - number to bo: disposed of. up to" 2,800,000. Mr. Goodsir thensuggested that an attempt should be made to; advance lamb prices. The output,was accepted by >the.. meeting as being specially heavy, but, ■it was,not shown that it was equal-to-absorb--ing, tho arrivals; which from. January last havo, averaged'. 135,000.; a week. ■, Mr., Gilbert .Anderson then proposed that this Frozen-Meat Trado." Association . should take steps to,.procure re-; liable infor'maCon from the warehouse keepers. of London 'as to. stocks ..in store. After considerable discussion the motion of MivG. H,-; Robinson that - the' meeting should accept. on principle - a , decision to abstain : from ■ selling New, Zealand lamb at less than certain prices (which the- meeting fixed); Canterbury 2's, id. por lb.; B's, 3}d.; and 4's, 3Jd., was carried. Nothing was-done about mutton. At tho adjourned ■ meeting it was recognised that tho declino in values had been checked by tho action ..as reported above, and tho' result of the second gathering was thus recorded: 'That everyone would uso his" utmost endeavour. to present. a firm . front. to buyers iii tho hope of maintaining prices.' : From early dates in tho tradei these efforts-.havo , beenimado to hold up tho..market.. . In. this case, it is ac--ceptod that the resolution'of tho first meet-' ing stopped .prices, from .falling further. .The statistical position is'bad, and unless tho position improves, there may. bo ( n .crash in.Au-. i^st-SDptember.^with'ildmbs. ."The only hopo now, I am told, is to stir np ■ the, public;, by. advertising. ( As the ■ outcome of a proposal at. tho .meeting described •above,,'.itho ;Eigh Commissioner ~fpr New Zea--.arid asked if 'thdi Kew;:' Zealii'ndy <G6vernment-,,'would''undertakb 'iin' ;adyortisihg campaign, to stir up tho pub?'; lib :SO that tnoro might be an extra demand - for -Now.. Zealand lambs. After some co'ni sideration, ho replied by asking'to what extent those firms engaged in selling New Zealand,lanjbs,;.wpnld- assist; . The sum of £250 was' •phtVup "nt. the. meeting. Tho High 'Commissioner's, idea-, is that £1000 -a month should, •bo : spent for. .the next few months in bring-' ing .beforo the British -public-the fact (which' they ought to'; know already) that New Zealand "lambs aro'- to be bought cheaply.' The' .matter.Jnow is ;in •the. df,' , Sir 'Josepli? WilW(' ; aiid" nothing has.vbeen. done 'in? advertising yet.'-' ; > ■ ■ ■' :