THE MEAT TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1702, 19 March 1913, Page 10

THE MEAT TRADE.

EX-PRE JIIER • ON THE POSITION. Presiding at the annual dinner of the Incorporated Society of Meat Exporters (London), at the end of January, which gathering was attended by representatives of the trade from New Zealand, Australia, anil the Argentine, Sir Joseph Ward, in proposing tho. health of the. society, remarked that those present represented the Parliament of the meat trade, although they did not'.have any particular political discussions. Beforo the first shimneht of frozen meat to England from New Zealand took place, many men said it would mean the ruination of the English meat trado. But time had proved otherwise. He had asked people in this country whether they had over eaten New Zealand, Australian, or River Plate mutton, and they had answered in the negative on eacli occasion. As a matter of fact, their 'nieftt was so -ftood that the English people could not tell the differeneo between tho lheat from New Zealand and: the best English mutton, although Britishers were supposed to have a very fine palate as to what they had at table. Twelve million Sheep and lambs had been imported into this country, 'and somebody must have oaten tho meat. And with all tho meat exported from New Zealand they ;«till had. their troubles in that country. The competition in New Zealand before exportation was something remarkable! and the wholo of tho produce was sold before'it left, tho shores or reached, tho Old ■Land. The competition was so keen, in--decd, that anybody who got a legitimate profit-.'at - this end was entitled to it. There had been a movement on foot for all carcasses to be branded, but it had fllways been determinedly opposed by himself, for -he believed'that the meat trade should be carried on with integrity, and'it was no use for any legislature in the world to attempt to make exporters brand their carcasses. The meat trade' between/this' country and New Zealand had, increased by leaps and bounds during five or ten years. They had 4G7 steamers carrying yearly twelve million carcasses of sheep and. four million quarters of beef, and although they, like other organisations; had troubles, yet he thought the trade was never more flourishing than it was at the present time.