COMMERCIAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4733, 4 August 1924, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

SOUTH AMERICAN REPORT. The South American representative of .the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board in his last monthly letter writes as follows regarding the general conditions as applying to livestock in the Argentine: “There is little new to report in the meat trade, though continental grade of beef is considerably dearer owing to the large shipments as you see to the Continent. . Since April 15 all transactions in fat cattle in this country have to be carried out. on a price per kilo live weight, and the necessary weighbridges have been installed in the local, cattle market and in the different freezing works. Swift’s prices to day for live-stock are as follows . Chiller steers, 4.36 d to 4.54 d per kilo live weight put in works. This is equal to 3.5 d per lb dead. Continental grade, 3.27 d to 4d per kilo live ’a eight or 2.91 d to 3.27 d per lb dead. Good cows 2.73 d per kilo live weight or 2.27 d per lb dead. Canners, 1.64 d to 1.82 d per kilp live weight. Sheep : Wethers, 6d to 6.55 d per lb dead ; ewes, 4.36 d to 4.01 d; hoggets, 7.27 d to 8d per lb dead in works. There is a large available supply of fat cattle, but best grade chillers are difficult to obtain and a large percentage of the cattle slaughtered at present are just a little short of finish. Stere and breeding cattle are cheaper owing to early frosts in different parts of the country where the recent green growth of pasture will rapidvy disappear. “The following shipments to the United Kingdom for the fortnight ended July 26, 1924, Were made ..from Argertine and Uruguay: 156,4'80 quarters of chilled beef, 38,877 quarters of frozen beef, 50,543 carcases of frozen mutton, 06,081 .carcases of frozen lamb. “The quantity, shipped to the Continent of Europe during the. same period retailed 228,800 quarters of frozen beef and 11,037 carcases of frozen mutton. “The rate of exchange to-day is $13.20 equal to the pound sterling.”