WELLINGTON NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 15 March 1927, Page 1

WELLINGTON NEWS

FROZEN MEAT TRADE. (Special to “ Guardian.”) e >i WELLINGTON, March 11. 11 In a, general survey of the British [1 frozen and chilled meat market for s 1920, Geo. O. Keane and Co. Ltd., > state that the outstanding, feature has been the severity and the protracted s nature of industrial troubles in the i! United Kingdom, and their effect upon 1 trade. While the general strike did not last long, marketing of frozen and ' chilled meat for the time being was seriously curtailed and discharge from ~ vessels was practically at a standstill. e Volunteer labour did much to help , matters at Smithfiehl during the x stoppage, and to prevent undue advantage being taken of the situation, the various meat interests fixed the s wholesale maximum selling prices. > with the sanction of the Government. - These were in force for about twelve days. The coal trade, which lasted for v seven months, proved serious to all B trades, and the meat industry had to - bear its share of the depression, and 1 at the close of the year it had not f fully recovered from the effects. Owing ’ to the large volume of unemployment 1 money became tight in practically all i fbe great industrial centres, and eono sequcn.tly the- sale of meat in those re- - cions was greatly reduced. London, t therefore, was expected to take more • than its usual share of imports, and prices were in consequence adversely affected. At the beginning of Jnn- - nary an outbreak of foot and mouth - disease was traced to Continental irn- • ports, and a Government, order was issued prohibiting the importation of certain classes of meat from the Continent of Europe. This order caused 1 excitement in the trade. It also raised hopes that its enforcement would have a beneficial effect on home-killed and -frozen moat, but those hopes were ' only partly realised, as the coal strike • greatly reduced the spending power of t the people. Importations of chilled .. beef for 1920 aggregated a little more than 0,890,000 quarters, or about 000.5 000 quarters more than for 1925. On actual weight comparison, however, the increases would ho greater owing to the very largo percentage of heavy quarters received as a result of the excellent season in Argentine. Frozen 1 beef imports amounted to just over ' 1.010.000 quarters, or about 563.000 quarters loss than for 1925. Most of 1 this decrease was in shipments from ’ South America. Australian imports 1 were approximately 220.000 quarters ' less than for the previous season. Arrivals of mutton for the twelve months from the three main sources of supply approximated 5,220,000 carcases, or i some 100.000 carcases more than, for 1925. Mutton mot rather a disappointing trade throughout the whole year, , and prices that ruled at the beginning of January were never again equalled. Lamb importations from New Zealand. Australia and South America at 8.830,000 carcases compared with about 8.890.000 carcases in 1925. A noticeable feature throughout the whole year lias been, the large premium realised for light-weight carcases of all qualities as compared with medium and heavyweight lambs. The importations from New Zealand amounted to over 4,986.000 carcases and is believed to In* the record import into the United Kingdom from the Dominion, and equal to about 55 per cent, of the total imports of lamb for the year. The increase on the 1925 total is over half a million carcases or fully 11 per cent-. The firm states that the somewhat indifferent quality of many of the shipments was responsible for buyers turning their attention to prime Victorian lambs in preference to those from New Zealand, the difference in price being appreciable. 'Dealing witli tbc prospects for the coming year, the firm states that the new year opens with a certain amount of promise, and given freedom from labour disputes it is reasonable to expect that 1927 will witness a considerable expansion in trade, and this in turn ought to make for an improvement in demand for imported meats of all classes, particularly in the provincial districts, which have for long periods in 1920 been partially paralysed by unemployment. It is probable that the average price of beef and mutton will Tic on a slightly lower level, unless the South American companies come to some arrangement regulating shipments. Lamb values should equal 1920, hut it would not ho surprising if they showed a slight increase, as the year opens with very light stocks in store, and it is just possible that the continuance of the order prohibiting Continental importations may favourably affect the lamb market. It is expected that the smaller freezing companies in the Dominion will again experience difficult conditions and the demand for a merger scheme continues. The scheme suggested by some of the directors which involves a compulsory merger of the whole of tile freezing works in the Dominion and a capital of £6,000,000 is impracticable. Compulsion will not and should not be tolerated.