N. Z. BEEF IN ENGLAND.

Otaki Mail, 7 April 1922, Page 4

N. Z. BEEF IN ENGLAND.

i jit has always been hard to understand how it comes about that beef sells cheaper on the London markets than mutton, because there is not only a strong prejudice on the part of meateaters in England against mutton (fresh, as well as frozen), but beef is still- the boasted standard article of i daily; diet as in the days of old. That ' being so, how comes it that during last woek-end New Zealand beef was queted (presumably at Smithiield markets) at 3id per lb, whilst Now Zealand mutton was fetching B}d? On the face of ' it, there is something wrong. Yet the aotual prices paid out during recent weeks to Feilding fanners who ventured to place their beef on the Home J market proves the above-quoted pover-1 ty'of beef prices. Thus, we are in-| formed that one farmer in the Feilding district sent seven fat cows Home, and he has just received his cheque for the whole sale —£2 10 s! Eut there is a still worse local case, in which 12. fat steers brought in London a net total return to the grower of 255! Little wonder that some of our producers want to know whether the Big Interests in London are still fleecing them, and whether our Government is being hood- • winked. Does the New Zealand Cabinet know where our beef goos from the hooks, and does it know whether the Meat Trust supplies our High Commissioner’s Office with the latest Loudon quotations? If so, all those cables which come out weekly aro just so b much, propaganda for the interests that may he.rigging the .market for New _ Zealand beef at Homo. Or does Mr Massey know for sure that a member of the High Commissioner's staff goes regularly into the Smithiield market* and takes off the New Zealand quotations! for himself? If not —why not? Fan there is surely ground for enquirv aa $o why; the British.beef-eater is buying mutton at Bid when he can got the best of beef at 3*d Feilding Star.