MUTTON AND LAMB.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 676, 29 November 1909, Page 8

MUTTON AND LAMB.

REGuLATfON Needed: limits of the BRITISH MARKET. iIfINISTBB'S 'PLEA'I'FOR PREFERENCE.-' ; (By Telegrach—Preaa Association.l '.ji a i Christchurch, November 28. At tho South Island Mam Trunk Eailway Loague's banquet at ■ Choviot on Saturday, .the •Hon. T.< jMackenzie, Minister.{for Agriculture and Co'tdttierco, in responding to the toast of "The Ministry," .made some remarks on the Vpresent,'prospects i'of the Dominion's produce trade. .: ■■;. .. , i, ■ . «-i ■ General Prospects Good. Mr. Mackenzie prefaced , his remarks with' a ,-reiforeucp,,to,itljo;general: prospects for the world's trado,--.which, ho said, were good, alid as New Zealand was affected, by ;the success or V- the ' reverse of trade prospects in tho Old Country, they could look'forward' with a . reasonable degree of, assurance, to, increased'prosperity here. The position of iron, gold, and wheat was at the present moment.satisfactory,, and in regard to New : ZeiUand ,they wore promised a most bountiful harvest. If all went well, it would be 'a irocordione.Y'Prices : for,- the--majority-- of tiio ■'-Dominion's were satisfactory; especially were the} 1 so for butter, cheese, wheat, and- wool, whilo - hemp was improving, and frozen meat , stood at a considerable advance ovet:'the-prices obtained not.so long, ago. The increased price of wool and the increased output should equal fully ,£3,000,000. If the prices obtained. last May ,were taken as a basis, -.th'ere had been an increase " of ; 22,000,0001b. for 'the year ending March 31 last. As'compared with the previous twelve'months this : season moniised to show a still greater-increase.' Parenthetically, he ..might mention .-.--that', the Dominion^sv-.,t0ta1;.-expqrts for "tho ..first .seven rabnths of • tho' present year showed an increase in value of over .£2,000,000 over those : of.the corresponding period- last i -year.. .. deferring , fuMß , dr'tb''w-bbl;^e ! -SSid'that everything pointed to 'a continuance of the present' satisfactory conditions,, because, .while the world's - woolusing population was ' increasing, the . nocks were decreasing, although the decreases.' had .taken,, pliic'o':'in ■ countries : like , France' and Germany, to which New Zealand had no access j for afr frozen :meat.' ;.- - ,» \ ■

Rival-bids 'for a Ten-Million-Carcass Market. ■i' Oile of the most difficult problems to : deal with", at-, the ] present. .moment .was ] the / future prosjieots...of''the frozen';: mutton., and -/lamb] tr-fOo--■'" 'I'llore. was'.an. idea that an unlimited ■market existed in the.Mother Country, but.that 'such is/not the cose is discovered: this season. "-Ten''millions: of carcasses was about Great 'Britain's yearly jpower. of ■ absorption. ,New Zealand, from s her;,-flocks . of., 23,500,000, sending ovfir half tliat number. Tho Argentine, \dospite the temporary sot-back, was .rapidly "increasing-;its . exportable total, especially, in conheitioii*.with lambs,' and.-if that increase, 'continued' at ]last' gear's. :rate v the Argentine beforo long, would be able -to, ..send to Greatv 1 Britain;: 5,280,000 carcasses :.of laqib and '. mutton.. • In. : addition, they .had to consider the output, of - Australia,, which possessed. flocks three or four times in nuiriber those of New Zealand. ;It. Msont. then that they would have , from 12,000,000 to 15,000,000' of' ciifcasses of : lamb and mutton.: on j'a: market that at...presant is, only able .to-.a,b----sorb^rlO,0(10,000. The success of the New Zealand lamb and - mutton .trade depended upon Tenewsd'.'prosperity, in,',the' United ]Kingdom. :Forttiriately, ' ; m ; August - last. Great Bntaan s" •itrade 'had'shown an" 1 increase of' seven 'and;a.'half '-millions,' > and -in September of. four ind-. lions, i and-'the October ..returns v ,showed i.that : "trade was still on the: tip grade, and .the.-effect, ~of this:i'ncrimsing prbspority .was., noticeable 'in, : the • prices' obtained for < New Zealand mutton ''and.;.lajnb;.'. Xhe icontention, that the-low. pricest Bome, jfime' back ]were -due 'to. over.-"6upplies was-not 'correot,. except- in the. increase of mutton and lamb since March .last;, but .taking the. total; meat available '.in, ■Great Britain from all: sources there was less :per::head'of population- than there .was sbnie : years ago. In 1901, when Great Britain's population] '.3vas,' : 40,000,000, ] the . meat ] supply .;was. '40,328,(W1)cwt.:; 'in 1907-8; ,with"a population : of ',45,000,0f1,0,' ;i the, v meat.,..supply .';],omy : ros6'; . ;.to-' ]'46,850,0.00;crre-t, ];^]fos,JS9l)the, .mutton; and - lamb jstoodv at "10,445,000cwti'-.? and- in : ; 1907-8 :.'.at> 'JOjQSi'.OOOcwf:. -Zealand;-sent 'Home. 50, Jper ~cent.i l- V*': t hes.-BriHsh t >.:coiMumptioh .of. rautfon'' , a&d v ßflib| , sli:6 'ohly ;: oxporte'd to Great' ;Britain 7 per - cent, of the British-consumption ; :ot cheese I ,'Tind 8 - ipor :cont;uof , the butter . cor..sdmedi-'; 'EegaWin'g "'butter;;-"there w.iis 'a'piple-'.-scope-for increasing ..New],Zealand's output. • i'-i'-'M- u'■' ■ Preference, With Competition. - ; iiThor questions,.waSrt'l'whether New.'Zealand. snoiilfj not- take" a-.rleafc'out-.of Ajnerica's-book' with regard to the shipment. and tho control of distribution, or should not be, met i ;with.preferjnc4i,'arid..combination.]'with' ■combinaHoni,. : The,:.preferehce; he] meant]-was" where a dependency,vor. .dcpondoncies of Gr<iat ■Britain, can supply all tho -Homo Cotiirfry -Wants, - told ~where] the -internal: cbmpetition in ~ the\dependencies-is;sufficient;.to .kcep pricas-.for. from'-'-being' -unduly' high. Accord-. iD'g., f to ]^he f ,investigations : . of , 'the v moth'ods; of' the Americas.-.meat:.trusts :before-Lord Hugh' S^l': though the trusts' operations' did not' affect the prices at 'Sm'ithSeld." they determined ;the price at which New Zealand mutton and beef is : sold. in ..the provinces in England;'] : At'''tli]e;t l preseil,t '':time the , Ameri- : w?re',.extending -their: activities to and'at .was recently stated that the Swifts^.MhOTm.i'was,, spending ; £140,000 of Jts .-.liew,-;,i!apital, ) ,in,v;purchasmg several i large meat-: concerns'-.ini- the-Argentine, : while the Chicago', njeat'/packers. 'recently : . issued .-secori-aa-'fcthi! amomit of s ill,Boo,ooo'.with a'view of; -'-meat'.' markets] It that' combinations- be,formed m order tHat some system of regulation should be' established, in-order that gradrug might bo fixed, and; that . meat should .to grade,. and not sold- subject toHomearhntiahon;

.., iUnrogujated "Placing on a Weak Market. , fho idea, addod th6'Minister, was that indis-cnminato-'exportation'■sihotild cease. ' While it' i was admittea:'tTiat':iiianj'' of ,'tfie- New Zealand companies- grade' most"excellently, it is declared ; that some' .do not grade sufficiently reliably to make a'standi iqian.it.- He realised .the difficulty connccltxl with large quantities ° f coming.:..on:, tho- "market iat ■: certain periods - .for killings but it could ;• not; have .Other than a serious effect on the market when ithfey saw 937,000 carcasses shipped in one month -j-a shipment "gqunl 'to., the:' total shipments of the . raevious-three, ; months. They' also , knew that ithere were/about. fifty' shippers consigning ■to! asmany- sellers in, the Old Country, -who competed .agaihst-each other, and thus weak- ■ encd tho markets, , instead of standing together and combining, as is done by oar American cojtsins.y'. The 'most serious -aspect ■ of - all - was that when the markets ore weakening all sorts 'allowanccs .arG made'for damages and.for "not up to quality"' on jeaUy sound meat. The future, .outlook 'for .'the dominion's meat trade depended almost • entirely.-on an: altered condi- .. - affairs-or a from - the., existing •.condition of;things; in otucr words, upon:• * '. . (1) An increased manufacturing pro- . sperity in the United Kingdom enabling' ■- : people'-who'-hare. the bny.v (2) Preference in British markets; ' " : (3) The reorganisation of the. trade ..-i on- lines --which' ;will- secure greater - . uniformity in grading, shipping, ; and-' ■ distribution. • •' • . (1) On the'country-going in tn'ore for :. ■ butter and cheese, and endeavouring to' : get a share of the chilled meat trade : '. of the United Kingdom. ' . That the last-mentioned can be done wasvdemonstrated by . the success of the chilled meat from Queensland delivered in London, ;ex- Marathon,;. which, secured, remunerative ■■prices: 1