STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2810, 22 January 1908, Page 8

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

i Bi Dbotui.

Weekly SUck Saks : Fortnfghtly : • Bumiide, Wednesdays I .vcroargi'l, Tuesdays Askburt**, Tuesdays JfcntMy: AWm*tem,Wedn««cJ ays clintotl| Pahaerpt™, Ftrtnightly : Wintoo, and WaiBalclutha, Fridays kouaiti. G«re. Tuesdays — Pentdxcally: Oatmaru, Tuesdays Heriot, Kelsc and JKye- \ bum. The Aldington market for fat lambs of prime quality is firm, as owing to the drought supplies 'of prime lambs are likely to be scarce. Export buyers pay 13s to 15s for prime freezers and Us to 12s for smaller lambs, but unfinished lambs as well as sheep meet with but poor demand, as the dry weather in Canterbury must make feed scarce, and even if rain comes now it will in many cases be too late. Fat sheep are neglected by exporters, but there is a fair local demand for the supplies coming to hand. The cl }s of mutton required by exporters — viz., about 60 to 651b prime sheep, seems to be a thing of the past in New Zealand. At Burnsidc the maiket is purely one for butchers, exporters not operating yet, and it is really wonderful that prices have been "o well maintained. The rumour that the American Meat Trust is trying to corner the London .meat trade, whether true or not, is evidently attracting some attention — vide the Westminster Gazette' of November 30, one of the leading commercial London • which interviewed the Hig.h Commissioner, ~Mr Pember Reeves, as to his opinions in regard to the lamb and mutton trade in New Zealand becoming absorbed by the American Trust, and w&ich interview appeared in last week's Witnoss. In that interview Mr Reeves considered 1 that by no amount of Yankee enterprise could a corner in the mutton, as well as the beef supply of the world, be brought about. "In fact," Mr Reeves declared, "I do not hesitate to say that if such a thing were necessary the New Zealand Legislature would pass forthwith an emergency act to make it impossible." Probably our 4.gent- general is right in his opinion, but I am by no means certain. At anyrate there is no organisation or combination of New Zealand freezing Companies of meat exporters here or in London to deal with any tiouble mat jray arise. I have always held this to be a weak spot in our frozen meat exp )it trade. It is true that the Government, through our Agent-general, make praiseworthy efforts to combat any events arising, which may have a detrimental effect on the sale of our pastoral and agricultural products but they are not backed up well enough by our exporters and meat freezing companies. Theve is need of combination and of some united effort being made by those who carry on the trade in New Zealand frozen meat, and Mr. Stringer secretary of the Auckland freezing works states the position I think very fairiy He said that the co-operation talked of in the rsortn Island among the freezing works was m the best* interests of the sheep-owners and of the New Zealand frozen meat trade, and gave his opinion on the subject as follows, and I agree with him: — He went on to say, quoting from London, tnat it wag well-known' that New Zealand meat suffered very considerable loss through the freezing industry not being directly interested at Home. At present nearly all the agents at Home had no special interestin New Zealand meat— that was, no interest more than in tie meat from Australia or the Argentine, and' were not concerned that JSew Zealand meat should be sold more than any of the other meats. There was no attempt on the part of the agents to do more than simply effect sales at such a price as would command an easy and ready sale for whatever article they had at their disposal. There had- never been any prac- ! ticwl interest on the part of th« agents in ' solving difficulties of the trade or in finding new markets or in placing any brand At a price commensurate with its quality. Contradictory reporter were % -eent out from time to time, especially in regard to quality, and 1 various claims were made because th« sheep •were of some particular character, such as I merino, which had long since ceased to I influence the flocks here. There was no one at Home to study and open up new markets and report as to the various causes which. I led to the extraordinary fluctuations in price from time to time. These were some of fclie disadvantages that the frezing com- ! panics in New Zealand' laboured under. j Then again, Mr Stringer went on to say, i there waa no one to report on' the actual statistical position from time to time, and I consequently the high prices which might be ' realised in the market were seldom gained "by the shipper, and there was no one in authorHy ta advise in reference to the proper discharge of the perishable goods. ! It was well known that the freezing comj panics in New Zealand took the greatest j care in the slaughtering, dressing, freezing, and shipping of meat, and it was put on board in a thoroughly clean condition, and | well frozen, but some of those interested in j th-e industry who had been Home reported { that it vraa painfn? to see the carelessness

displayed in the discharge of. the meat and •the filthy condition in which some of the carcase! arrived. All these matters could be Improved if there was someone with authority to aot for the companies. These were the arguments for co-operation. The object of the conference was to bring the various 'companies together, to see that New Zealand meat was properly handled ftr.d properly placed on the market, and to open up new markets. It was not a combine, but simply a co-operation for the protection of the industry. As a matter of fact, the co-operation would be of more benefit to the producer than to anyone else, for it would mean that with better markets at Home the sheep-breeder •would realise a better price here. One of the ideas was to have a properly-qualified^ agent in London for all New Zealand meet to look after the discharging of cargo, new markets, reports, etc. — someone who was more interested in New Zealand meat than the mere commission on the sale. There was no idea of increasing the freezing charges, and, as a matter of fact, the co-operation should reduce th« charges, because by leading to better trade on the^Home market, «nd therefore increased consumption, it would mean larger quantities going through, and it elways followed in freezing that the larger the quantity handled the cheaper the freezing could be done. I am quite with Mr M'Queen, managing ' director of the Southland Frozen Meat Company, that the laws of supply and demand should, and probably' will, rule, but we have seen enough of what trusts do , in America to Unow that for a time at least they can and do upset the laws of supply and demand. There are many things that could be done by combination or of co-operation among New Zealand freezing companies, but' combination and cooperation among them is difficult because they are differently constituted and are not all working on the came lines. A few are w-operative, and freeze for farmers and sell for farmers; still a few more merely freeze, and ship for anyone ; but the largest and the most of them are almost solely buyers of sheep, lambs, and cattle for freezing and dealing with on their own account, and quite independent of sheepfarmers. They exist to make dividends for their shareholders, and to them the develop- j ment of the frozen meat industry and its j future is, in the interests of sheep-farmers, only a secondary consideration, although an important one. Their interest is not the same as the co-operative freezing works or as the freezing works which only .freeze and chip on owners' account. This will make any combination for the benefit of the trade difficult, but not impossible. It may not be brought about for some time, but I ' think something will have to be done ere j long. I don't for a moment think that sheep-owjiers have for many years been getting less than value for their sheep and ! lambs; I think they have been getting more • than value. But it is in view of the fact | that they may have to accept much less than value that I think all should interest themselves in bringing about, a sort of defensive alliance among the meat-freezing com- j panics .in New Zealand. Ev«n Mr M'Queen, i who, I take it, sees no need for combination,- admits that some improvements might ' be made by combination — for instance, the lessening of the number of agents selling New Zealand meat in competition with one another, and harming the trade. And I am quite sure there are other things that might be improved upon.