LONDON MARKETS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 202, 21 May 1920, Page 10

LONDON MARKETS

Messrs. R. Arlow and Co. advise that their London agents. Messrs. L. C. Baliantinc and Co., raiting under date London, April 8, report as follows:—Frozen meat: The present schemo for the distribution of Government meat has nonbeen working for about a fortnight, and wc cannot say that it is materially helping to clear the accumulation. The controlled prices at the time of writimr are: Mutton Bs. per stone; lnmlv &s. Bd. per stone. There are many absurdities m the present position; for instance, wethers and ewes, Australian and New Zealaand, in the majority of caswi >tore stale, and Argentine fresh shipments are nil expected to realise the same price, and th<* same thing applies in the beef. Lamb is in good demand, as usual, at this time of the year, and is readily sold at control prices, hut mutton is hanging tire, and the price will nave to be materially reduced Morn much headway can l>e made with thj stocks on hand. The Smithfield market-'.stall-hold-ers, who have been controlled by the Ministry of Food, have hcen advised 'that their agreements will terminate on Jiijv i nexf.' r This will mean that thee will be full cnuinetition on the market itself, a,nd is in our opinion a step fiiftW i'l.th" riitht dirccl'on. Sooner or later the Government will have to realise that there is « difference between cow and ox beef ind wether and ewe mutton, and that an inferior quality cannot possibly make -top price.