OUR MUTTON IN AMERICA.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 891, 10 August 1910, Page 10

OUR MUTTON IN AMERICA.

■AN INTERESTIN& LETTER,

.; The'matter of the prospects of Now ■Zealand mutton in America has been ;dealt-with in previous issues of The Dominion. Tho following dispatelf-ffom .the!,-;--British; Consul-General in the United States (Mr. C. W. Bennett) to the' Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, London (Sir Edward Grey), is of interest, as affording additional Jniormation -6ii/ ; a • prospective -,n«wj"trado outlet for.New Zealand^rneai.(says the "Journal of the Department of Agriculture"). In view of the striking economic readjustment now taking.place an the meat trade of tho United!' States, recorded : niay'bo held, to contain-great potentialities v.,. : "I have the honour-to-.enclose an..extract from, .the "New. York Times' .in ; which "'• aro . contained some/in- : . teresting,-:remarks -,-made by- -Mr. William C,., Brown, .president of," tho. •New: York Central Bililrbad Company, ■upon the increase of prices in the "United States. ■'.'■"_ \-■■■-.. : "Mr, Brown has given considerable attention to this subject,' and some of his .'remarks'-are ,'of- great interest;jpecially those, connected with the fact ..that; consumption is rapidly overtaking {production.;.-- ';<;-■'. -. : i : ...... ~.- - _ '"In connection with this subject it is. interesting to note that, a cousignment' 'of 891 carcasses of frozen mutton ar- . .rived ■ a ■ few days since in New York ifrom Now .Zealand via London,-Jltiis'-stated' in the-ipress that this is to be., only, the first'of many shipments,' and" that' the'.importers find that- they carL •sell,:>this , New;. Zealand mutton at a profit in New York, even taking;into considerittion the fact that they have : paid" thereon . a Customs duty of 1$ cents per pound. I have made further. inquiries 'into' : the nature ; of; this' ship-; merit, and ain informed by an Englisn'- '. man! who is .greatly; interested in the meat trade that"thefe'is reason to befieve that this meat was originally intended for the London market, and was diverted here at short notice; that this ■was probably-done in view of tho fact that so muchKas been said.lately about high prices prevailing in the United States; and that it was thought feasible io try just what the market would take; "My informant could not trace tho fact that any mutton had been brought here before from New Zealand, but the general impression>Js;./that..this, ship"ment would be followed by further ones. It.is,, of course, a -,'fact that considerr able' Canadian-'mutton'is used-all', alorig ■the : border, as well as in the large: eas•tern towns, more' especially in clubs, hotels, and private houses. The price of Canadian mutton is anywhere from 8 to 12 'ipents!. (4d. to 6d.), and 'has ■been as. Cmuch, as, 15' cents (7Jd.) i a Dound lower than native mutten of the ;tfnited States, the native mutten of .the same quality selling here at. from 30 to 35 cents per pound. ■ Consequently,: if there is a large supply of muttonvin Canada, it would appear that, '-iSith'' the'margin in question; even after deducting the import duty, there would be a good profit mado in shipping larger quantities/to., this side of the border; and'-tho, fact that this meat'-does not. come to'. the United -is notowing to thk'.itariff;rates;:but-arises.pd's-sibly from, some 'understanding with • tho' concerns in the , States, or with the control "of-the.refhgorSrxSHj cars/;distribution , of the meats''tlifough -the"natural agencies, /or some-vother reason besides, .itheconstantlv-fh.eard-of; cryiof 'protection. ■-•■;.■;'; , :■';'■- v S.i. '. '■■ "It.is.o that .Australian ;-me'at : ; : has'rbeen imported here, and has arrived in excellont'coudition,; being -transhipped in England,- and. that, 'in spite 'of the duty,''this ; has been sold ; at"a"gb'6d' projt of 2 per'cent; less native, meat.. .The meat,"' before-ibeJng'.' , forwarded;! here, was very • icarefully ; /trimmed:and dressed, so that every ele- ,, : merit; of-'waste was cut down-. : ,t0.' the. minimum. 'It is also said that-'there are !a number of agents , . handling;Au»-r;. "tralian meats in the market here'j-'-but' my was not able te obtain- the names of- : any,.except! that of the Sayles-Zahn Company, who are be.lieyed to receivo Australian dressed mut'ton 'occasionally. '.'.: ~-.•■ .'.-.

, ; ."With, reference to the Canadian ',■ supply of. mutton J (continues the jour- .'.-'. nal), it may be mentioned that, ac- :•. cording to official statistics, the. number of sheep in Canada 'in 1908 was' ' 2,818,971 'only.\The duty onfresh'meat, as frozen miitrfcon, imported into' . the. United" States of America .is \\ . cents (fd.) per. , pound." '-"■'■■-... '■-')