DISPARITY IN MEAT PRICES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2902, 14 October 1916, Page 3

DISPARITY IN MEAT PRICES

EXPLANATION FROM LONDON,

By Telegraph—Press Association,

Palmerston North, October 13.

The following is an extract from a letter sent by Messrs. Gilbert Anderson and Co., London, to their agents, Messrs. Mellsop and Eliottj under date August 24,1916: —"The Prime Minister mado a huge blunder when he sold New Zoaland meat on a f.o.b. price without a clear and distinct stipulation that it should have been lifted from time to timo as it was frozen and in accordance with the usual requirements of the trade. The absence of these regular shipments, and' the fact that up to the end of July the shipments of New Zealand lambs for the season were only 1,566,000, ae against 2,135,000 for the previous year, but more particularly tho fact that the total arrivals from New Zealand for the month of June were only 168,863 New Zealand-lambs against 470,000 in June, 1915; and the serious shortago of Australian meat, and that American firms aTe outsido tEe control of tho Imporial Government, and were able to put up the price of Biver Plate lambs, at ono time to as much as Is. ■per~lb;-5 -further -tlie -New -Zealand Government would not inovo to prevent. American, firms obtaining , supplies- of New Zealand lambs, and the consequence was tlhat they were enabled to diotate tho price and quantities that buyers had to take of Biver Plate lambs before they could obtain any New Zealand lambs. "The Board of Trade has decided: to fix the price of New Zealand lambs on the basis of 9£<l.; this no doubt has been done for political reasons, but if the market had been allowed to take its natural course, New Zealand la,mbs would havo maintained their premium, the consumption of meat would have been brought down until New Zealand oould have seen its way tg make clear shipments and tho complaint of New Zealand farmers of tho unfairness of Biver Plate lambs being sold above the price of -New Zoaland would not have taken place. The whole blame lies entirely with_ the 'New Zealand people' failing to intimato the arrangements for regular shipments of meat. There was ample tonnage available if tonnage had been arranged with. a knowledge of the meat trade and its requirements."