Frozen Meat.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 61, 13 February 1885, Page 4

Frozen Meat.

The London correspendent of the Melbourne Aryus, on December 19th writes — - " Consicierabje surprise is expressed at the action of a well known firm m holding back from sale so long some 8.600 carcases of mntton ex Coptic. The vessel arrived at tjie end of Last September with 22, 000 sheep on board. About 1 3,000 were readily sold at from 3s lOd to 4s 4d per stone, but the firm m question held back its consignments m the expectation of a rise m price. The rise occurred, and the balance of the Coptic'c. cargo it is said could have been disposed of at from 4s 4d v to 4s 6.1 per stone, bnt, though tfye market was virtually bare of colonial meat for a time, the. agents refused to sell. Since then considerable consignments have arrived, and the price fell to 4s,' then to 3s Bd, and now to about 3s 4d arid 3s 5M per iStone- Thus a considerable quan— j tity of the meat is still unsold, and* the cost of storing it must be very heavy. It is now being offered m London and the provinces at 5d per lb. It as transpired that the-impor-tations from the River Plate have not been sold at a profit. Between t October, 1883, and the end of June' last, the Rfver Plate Fresh Meat' Company sent over 54,589 sheep, the net loss u ; pbh which was dfi'7,674. The actual loss up to th§ present is said to amount to ; <£20,0()0 more, as only one cargo realised a prqfit. : The, company, how-eye^y intend ! to "persevere, and are effecting economies m '6very direction, besides securing a reduction m the freiglit charges." , . '