FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1651, 18 January 1913, Page 8

FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

KEGULATION OP SHIPMENTS : DISCUSSED. Referring to tho question of the regulation of shipments of frozen meat from New Zealand and Australia, as suggested by an English writer recently, ilr. John' Cooke, the well-known frozen meat exporter, who is largely interested in the trade- in Australia, informed a.southern reporter that in his opinion it would bo quite.impossible to bring this about. At one tinic, he said, he had been in favour of it," but ho had.given it up as not being worth while giving time to. There wero so many interests'and conditions involved as to, make it practically impossible to regulate the shipments. , There was no comparison ..between the .trade and conditions in the Argentine and those of the Australasian colonics. There were no private shippers ;of meat from the Argentine. It was entirely done by tho freezing companies, who bought the stock as they required it,' and it had to be held oh the estancias till it was wanted. In New Zealand and Australia 6tock could not be held after it was fat. In Australia. it must be got away when ready and before the feed failed, and in New Zealand the land was too dear to enable a farmer to hold fat stock; ho must get rid of it as soon as possible in order to enable him to fatten further drafts. To hold in store at this end would simply be playing iuto the liands of the South American ship: pers, who would work tho market accordingly. Then again, who was to decide what meat should be held and what should be shipped? Australia, might work against New Zealand and the North Island against the South. Another point was that stored frozen meat soon' lost its bloom; and also something in weight. Then again there was the arranging for steamers that had to be considered; ,' ■'•:-..-. ' . :

The market for meat was ! gradually widening, and the question of storing was, therefore,'not to bo considered.- He was not very sanguine about the Continental market, but.the Argentine .would havo a better chance there 1 than either Australia or New Zealand, as their freight was about one-half, . being s about a halfpenny as against a penny. He believed the time was not far distant. when tho United States, would take a considerable quantity.of South American meat, and tho American Beef Trust, which was so largely interested.in.tho Argentine, would not bo likely to put any obstacles in the way of getting the meat into the United States as they, had done with Australian. Of course the greater quantity of South Anierican meat that was diverted'from the United Kingdom would leave that market more open to Australia and New Zealand/ He quite expected to see a rise iii the price of meat of all claSsesJii a.<few years'-time,' as consumption was getting beyond production. It would not 'benefit exporters as the charges would be.greater, and the. greater price of meat would bo reflected upon the price of. land. . -~,"''.. '

Australia; was having a fair season, and in parts there had been good rains.; He could not:,.say ,how the new .works, tho American Beef-'Trust were greeting ;at Brisbane;iuponlwhich they.-w.ere.; spending 'a ; lot of- money;;fwero going,- to inflect the. 1 trade, but.he woulipoint outithafc.thc exV isting works were hot-always fully occupied. .'The'experiment .in..sending chilled beef from .Queensland.had been successful so far. as the carriage of. meat whs. concerned. But only one vessel, the Marathon, had been fitted up to carry tile mc.it under the Liiiley process, and as sho only made trips at five.months' intervals, a trade could not be built up. Then, again, the cattle owners expected them to pay more for the special quality of the beef required,- and this took away somoof, tho profit. . ' ,""• There was no doubt that Queensland beef,had deteriorated. This was plainly. • shown in the.drop year after, year.in the; average weight of carcasses that had'gono through .his works.,-, Ho; (Mr. Cooke) -had' pointed .this out,for,yoarsj.past, and had been abused' for so doing, but' Wwanted to see tho quality improved. The Queensland cattlo owners would .not'pay-tho prices the Argentine estancias were pay-, ing'for the best British-bred bulls,' nnd there w*as no doubt their cattle.wero going back.' ■•'.'.• .■■■'■

Dairying was going to mako a great difference to the beef trade, and New Zealandlwas evidently coming to the.position they had already reached in New South Wales and Victoria; During the last two winters ho had had to supply Sydney nnd Melbourne with Queensland chilled beef, besides the numbers of cattle that came over from the rame quarter, The special dairy, herds/such' as Jerseys, /Ay'rshires, mpk,*! "good.'beef,, and a's.New Zealand was going. in 'for.'f.hese .bfeed.s.'the.,beef.'supply woifld'in!.the..future be a problem' that would have to be solved, but exporting beef. from. .New, Zealand would,be out of the question.' '