LONDON MEAT MARKET

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 245, 10 July 1920, Page 9

LONDON MEAT MARKET

■;-. —«- . GOVERNMENT IMPOETATIONS. Writing under date May 20, Messrs. Gilbert Anderson, and Co., London, hare the following interesting remarks in a eoinmnrication to Messrs. A. M. Elliott, of Palmerston North:— "After being in. operation for a matter of two months the responsibility for disposing -of tho stocks of the Imperial Government' 6 purchases of meat is to once again revert firom the Board of Trade to the Ministry of Pood. When such changes occur in the business of private traders, it is sometimes difficult to understand tho purport, but where Government departments ,aro' concerned it is easier to define. At any rate, it is interesting to read the Parliamentary dehates and note how. easy it is to make the 'satchingf of awkward questions by tha simple expedient of one department referring the questioner to another. Fortunately, the latest change, which wo beli6vo will not take us much 'forrader,* will not retard the progress which has been made since wo reverted to the system of receiving releases direct from the Board of Trade and so being allowed to have a hand in the conduct of our business. We are convinced that the arrangements now in force have proved al • most generally successful, but whether this is bo or not we do know that so far as our sales aTe concerned, niuo.h larger quantities of meat have been dis'posed or weekly than was the case when .distribution was in the hands of a committee. One excellent result is the fact that wo are once again in direct touch with our clients, and in view of ..the complete cessation of control at, we trust, not too far distant date, we consider this very important. In this connection _ you will readily understand that as things right themselves more and more, so will our clients look to us more and more for their regular supplies. For some time past the trade has considered it essential that differential prices should be arranged for, viz., for (a) cut and uncut meat, and (b) for wethers and ewes. In this connection partial success has been attained, a start having been made on the 17th instant on the following busis, these prices, of course, being wholesale: —New Zealand wethers, uncut 9d. pel lb., cut Bd. per lb.; ewes, uncut Bd., and cut 7d. The next step made, we hope, will be to fix an alternative price for cut and uncut lambs and for different grades of beef. So far as the latter is concerned, it may be said that a different scaf.e of prices already exists for ox, bull, cow, etc., but as the arrangement does not put all on an established basis, it is not ai"together satisfactory. With regard to the storage of meat, continuous efforts arc being madft and much pressure is being brought to bear, both officially and privately, to force the storage companies to pile to order, as was once customary, and restore as soon as ever possible something akin to their pre-war efficiency. Naturally, with 60 much moat in store at this end, this is difficult to attain, and the matter will only be righted gradually and as opprtunity affords. Meantime, alterations in rates continue with ever-recurring regularity, and although the trend' is always upwards, it is difficult to perceive much improvement in respect of service."