THE FROZEN MEAT MARKET.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3353, 4 December 1919, Page 6

THE FROZEN MEAT MARKET.

(N.Z. HERALD.

The decision of the Imperial Ministry of Food to discontinue the control [of imported meat “early in 1920,” inJtimately concerns New Zealand. VV'ith “he improvement of shipping facilities, Ithere have been such large deliveries -of meat at United Kingdom ports from [the accumulated stores overseas that! a “glut” now exists. Home-grownl supplies have increased, and high prices have restricted consumption, with the result that the Minister for Food recently announced that Australian and New Zealand meat was being sold to wholesale dealers‘ at a.

loss_ This is now confirmed by Mr McCurdy’s statement in the House of Commons, that meat is being rctailed at prices below those paid by the Ministry, The Wisdom of restoring a :fI‘BE nrorgge-t _ll_Qs joec,n_ under discuss-ioii tor some time. Mr Mccurdy has ‘hitherto opposed the. removal of control on the ground that the expected reduction of prices would be only tern-: ’p'Ol‘ary. He estimates the _world’sj prospective cxporta'ble surplus at 1;: 250,000 tons, of jvhichz in_ the absence‘ of restrictions, Britain could eonsiiine 1,140,000 tons next year while the Continent could absorb 500,000 tons. ‘These estimates apparently presume a very great expansion in the consumption of frozen meat in Britain, com-

Ipared with the quantities distributed -by the Ministry under the rationing system, and, as the Society of Meat Importers has observed, the Continenltal demand is in the meantime restricitcd by lack of storage capacity and [shortage of insulated railway waggons. ‘ln any event, the fact that the cool storage in Britain is full indicates the existence of stock amounting to over 300,000 tons, to which have to be -added large quantities en route and {awaiting shipment. From the point of ‘view of the New Zealand producer, it is urgently necessary that a definite announcement should be made of the Imperial Governmenfls intentions regarding meat stocks» in the Dominion.

By the end of next June, when Lnc requisition‘ normally expires, there will be a large surplus of frozen meat belonging to the Imperial Government. The possibility of a further requisition for the 1920-21 season has now «been removed, but no definite undertaking has yet been given regarding the lifting of the accumulated meat_ It is: manifestly only fair to the New Zealand producers that they should be promptly inl"ol'med of the Imperial Govei-nrnentfs intentions, so that if a free market is to be restored they may

make their zlrrangements for the I'c~ sumption of nofmal trading. However, Mr Massey has kept the Imperial Government fully informed of New Zealand’s. views regarding the Control of meat, and there is no doubt that his representations have been -uffic':ent' 1);‘ ‘emphatic to safeguard the Dominion against the disadvantages_ it would encounter if it were expected to meet ,tl[l’c-. competitien in the open market of glie reserve stocks of Imperial requis--Ihons. .