The Frozen Meat Trade.

Feilding Star, Volume XIX, Issue 33, 7 August 1897, Page 2

The Frozen Meat Trade.

INTERVIEW WITH MR HOOLEY. London, Jane 18. Mr Hooley has been interviewed on the subject of his great proposal for dealing with the Australian and New Zealand frozen meat trade. " What led you to think of tho project, Mr Hooley? " be was asked. " Why, l noticed in one of the newspapers a wide margin in price between the grower and consumer. Huge profits were evidently made somewhere by somebody betwten these two factor?, and very little research convinced me that the main cause of the handlers and retail butchers getting their large profits is to be fonnd in ill-regulated ey» terns of supply, and I fe*r in many cases through bad management." " You of course seek to overcome these defects by amalgamation ?" " Yes, there must be co-operation or amalgamation, otherwise there is bound to be keen competition, and competition means ruin to the producer. It is unfortunate, too, that in this trade there it no benefit to the consumer. Notwithstanding the millions of carcases which are annually imported there is no sub stantial decrease in the price of meat, though a large colonial supply interferes with the market of the Home producer. Another grave weakness is the want of proper regulation of the supply. " But, Mr Hooley, it will not be sum* cient to regulate tbe supply unless you also regulate tho means of distribution, i Are you going to set up machinery to get your company in direct touch with 1 the consumer." " Ah, you have there hit one of the weak points on this side of the water. While it will not be our object to increisfl tbe price to the consumer we must endeavour so to control the supply in the Home market so as to avoid competition among those who immediately supply the public. On this side we shall not only do all that is possible to increase the sale of out mutton and beef, bat when ones we get the control of the sources of the supply we shall insist upon the quality being maintained, so that neither tbe company nor the producer need be afraid to have it known that the company is purchaung the colonial article. I and those who are assisting to launch this enterprise are more alive than Australians appear to be to the necessity of the British market being furnished with the choicest quality of food- Canterbury lamb has got the name here, and a deal of meat is sold as Canterbury which only disgraces the name, but that sort of praotioe will damage the whole trade- If we S«t the control of the freezing and shipping it must be a sine qua non that the British consumer can rely upon his brand. Systematic and regular grading seem to me among the essentials of suceesß, and you c&nnot secure these without amalgamation and control." " But you don't contemplate ' a corner ' in frozen meat, or jou will surely make your customer your greatest enemy." " Why, the consumer pays to-day from 6d to 7d per lb, according to the part of the animal he purchases, for meat that costs in Smithfield only 3d per lb for a whole sheep. Ont ot that 3d the pro ducer pays in Australia freight, killing, treeing and insurances, and in England there are deductions foe market, dock, and storage charges, making in all ljd. I think there is a fine field open for tbe produoer as well as for the new company. The people who supply the Home consumer must have bad a real good time."