The European Meat Market.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 26 January 1911, Page 4

The European Meat Market.

The I.otost announcement from the Old World is that several cargoes of in pat are on the vaiev (bound, we assume, from Argentine porLs ; for the Continent of lOtiropo), and that there are signs of the approaching rapid downfall of the tariff walls now standing against foreign meat. This is a sudden realisation of the hope expressed liy Sir W. Hall-.lone.s after the Vienna Refrigeration Congress, and acted upon by him Airing its progress wit]i such energy, courage- <and skill. His luck was in that day, because ho was not restrained 'by such a consideration as was obligatory on Sir George Reid, the only man who could have disputed the leading position with him at the Conference. Sir.George could not go, because the. States of the Commonwealth were all represented by their High Commissioners or It is curious tihat the Australian pressmen, who do ins st of the cable work in Lomlon, al Iseeni to have taken it for granted that, therefore, nothing interesting would bo done at the Conference. Hence they took no notice whatever, when the Conference ended. Rut the accounts which subsequently reached this country showed* that the work done by the Dominion's Commissioner had dominated the Conference and prepared the public: of the Dominion for the belief that hofore long the ports of the Continent would in due course beopened. But no one was prepared for the extreme rapidity of movement wJiieh—if til w? statements published by the. Shipping Gazette are to 'be relied on- has now apparently brought the tide of frozen meat within sight of the great foreign ports , . There is nothing in itself improbable in this. Tt is, indeed, but another way of saying that men all the world over prefer good beef and mutton, cleanly carried and delivered in good condition, to horseflesh, no matter how prepared for the consumer. Moreover one may add that the horseflesh is ii4ver prepared with any regard for tho interests of the consumer. Tt is the worst of horseflesh—that which linds its way to the yards of tho knacker—that is offered to the Continental consumer when he is hungry for meat. The gross economic fallacy of keeping meat by tariff out 'if a country where the people cannot got enough to oat because of the scarcity of the local article has 'been .seen through by the Continental public, and the consumer refuses any longer to 'bo victimised for the bene- ' fit of the agricultural vested intorrsts. So emphatically does .lie refuse that he has takou to killing butchers who do not give him the meat he wants, and it is evident that he cares but little for the presence of the troops called out to preserve the vested interests aforesaid from his wrath. ['lider the circumstances itwould bo astonishing if the protective walls were not to fall. It would be more than astonishing if thero were, indifference of meat producers to such an opportunity. The controllers of the distribution of our product have just ended a good year, remarkably in contrast with the yoai , .preceding. They are, therefore, in a position', to push the trade fill at is so suddenly opening out 'before them. The great question of the future of our trade has always been the qircstion of new markets. Bufc here i.s a bevy of new markets opening out with practically unlimited powers of consumption. Ft is a time for the energy, the prescience, t!'o skill, and the good management which wove so liberally displayed in the establishment of the meat industry. "With these qualities to the fore once more lie superior product of the meat fields of Xew Zealand ought to be the first to make a drep impression on the new consumers, and should be kept in the front position. Settlement, is going to add to our product. Here is a market opening to absorb whatever both wo mid our rival* of two continents can produce. The Dominion's High Commissioner is the very man to head this movement, so far as the diplomacy of the situation i.s concerned. Tf the producers and business men of the dominion will but combine and go straight towards the new goal the High Commissioner will do his part. The combination should prove irresistible. — Oamaru Mail.