DEARTH OF MEAT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 1972, 7 January 1907, Page 3

DEARTH OF MEAT.

PECULIAR POSITION IN BRITAIN.

LONDON, Nov .23. Tliero is greet shortage of all supdies of meat in London, and prices lave ruled phenomenally high of late —so high, indeed, that those who held

stocks ,earlier in the year, are regretting now that they yielded to the temptation to sell at low prices. But it is easy to be wise after the event. There can he no doubt, however, as to the reality of the meat famine. Ketail butchers cannot get meat at a price that will allow of their retailing it at anything like a price that people will look at, and many have been compelled to close their shops for the time being. Beef is said to have jumped up lOd per stone almost at one bound, and this in it-

self is a pretty good illustration of the state of the market. Talking the matter over this week with a New Zealand gentleman connected with Smithfield, he told me he thought we should see high prices right up to Christmas, and that such prices as meat had reached of late had not been kown for years. I asked the reason. “The only cause I can assign for it,” was the reply, “is the shortness of supplies. In New Zealand’’fhe season ended early owing to the wet; Australia has not been able to send forward supplies; all through the winter Argentina has not been able to send heavily; and so all round there has come a scarcity. It is quite the talk on Smithfield that the consumption of meat has gone down 33 1-3 per cent, simply owing to the high prices. And the strange tiling about it is that everybody ajipears tq have been taken by surprise.” One outcome of the shortage is that the rabbit dealers are having an exceptionally busy time. But that does not much affect Now Zealand.