AUSTRALIAN MEAT EXPORT.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 August 1916, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN MEAT EXPORT.

'A SERIOUS SHRINKAGE. STUDY OF DOMINION METHODS URGED. By Cfcllc.—Press Association.—Copyright Sydney, August 7. Tile inter-State conference of frozen meat exporters is discussing the new season's prospects. The president suggested asking the Government to send a commission, including wheat farmers., to study New Zealand's methods of artificially fattening sheep and lambs, in view of a more general application here. Comparing the exports, he said New Zealand possessed flocks totalling '2">,000,000, and exported 0,000.000 annually, while Australia, possessing eighty million, never exceeded four and a-hal'f million, the average for the past five years heing about three millions. The exports for the year ending June .'io showed an appalling decrease in the shipments, totalling <.'o/;,000 carcases of mutton and lamb and 004,000 quarters of beef, against 4,800,000 and 1,875,029 respectively for the previous wear. AUSTRALIAN AND ARGENTINE MEAT. SAME PRICES SHOULD RULE. Sydney, August S. At the frozen meat conference, the chairman said that, in view of war committments, Australia woukl require to realise every penny possible by the sale of its products abroad. Tiic fact that the money would circulate within the Empire should be placed against any idea that it was unpatriotic to ask that the same price should be paid for Austialian as for Argentine meat. On the other hand, it was unfair that the entire disadvantages should be borne by Australia and New Zealand. Their system was one by which the British Government intended to keep down the prices of meat to the Home consumer, whilst the British sheep farmer and Argentine exporter were permitted to reap all the advantages of high prices. These aspects of the matter had not yet had proper representation to the Imperial authorities.