OUR LAMB IN U.S.A.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 September 1920, Page 3

OUR LAMB IN U.S.A.

MUCH APPRECIATED: A BIG DEMAND. The reception given recent shipments of N()w Zealand meat in America is described by Mr, G. M. Tolhurst in a letter to the Dominion. Writing from Chicago, under date of June 23, Mr. Tolhurst says: "It has doubtless been common talk in New Zealand for some months that several cargoes of 'prime Canterbury'" have been offered for sale in America, [t will therefore be of interest to many people to know something of the way in which these lambs have been disposed of. "To understand this, however, it is necessary to know something of the American methods of handling meat, and the tastes of the people in the various centres of industry. Chicago is the great, distributing point. From it r&ilroads. stretch all over the Western States They bring the farmers' pioducts to the Chicago packers. Other railroads lead east. These carry the dressed meat and prepared foods to the eastern cities of the Atlantic Coast. "There are also many packing plants in the Western-States, also continually sending heavily-laden trains of chilled meat to the Eastern markets, and when these plants have more meat on hand than they could deal with they rail it to Chicago to be cured and kept till required. It would seem a long way to send lambs from Auckland to the Bluff to be killed, • yet many California spring lambs travel 2000 miles to Chicago, over the western railroads before they reach the butcher—just because the Chiet'.go people like fresh meat, and are prepared to pay for it. It is therefore obvious that Chicago people, having always had a plentiful supply of fresh meat, have got used to it, and we must therefore look to other cities to sell our frozen lamb. '"Now we turn to New York and the "tsties close by it. They have not got a "Ripply of live stock sufficient for their needs, and are dependent on Chicago for their main supplies . Every nisht heavy trains of refrigerator cars pull out of Chicago on their 1000-mile journey to New York. On tlie way they have to stop at least twice for re-icing, for the contents of those ears must not get warmer than 3'2deg. Fahr. This journey takes four days as a rule, and in hot weather, and during periods: of congestion, this transportation system is occasionally unable to take care of the refrigerator cars, and the meat is spoilt. This means that the people of New York cannot get fresh' meat, and have often been forced to fall back on frozen. They have therefore learnt how to handle it, and prepare it, and so we find that New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, and other cities of the fast are more suitable for the sale of New Zealand frozen lamb.

"When the first cargo of New Zealand lambs arrived in Boston, refrigerator cars were waiting to take them all over the States, for though there was a better market in the eastern towns, which were handier, the packers decided to scatter New Zealand lambs all over the States, and so from Boston they went to Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis, and even down to Oklahoma. It had the result the packers wished, for it knocked the bottom out of the live sheep-market, which fell two or three cents per pound in a few days. "A friend of.mine who has just returned from New York has told me that nearly all the restaurants there are using New Zealand lamb, so a huge lium- , ber must be used there every day. "I do not know exactly what price the "New Zealand Government got for the , lambs. Rumour says lOd to IOJd. How- | ever, do not know the wholesale selling price of our lambs in some of the principal markets. In Chicago they had an exceptionally even line of lambs, and the price was 28 cents (17d) per lb wholesale. In New York prices varied a little, 30 cents (ISd) per lb being about the price of prime lambs in good condition. * "This price may seem high to New Zealand people, but the packers were selling goods that were well worth the money, and my only regret is that the New Zealand farmer could not have a share in this profit, instead of the American firms. However, they bought it fairly, after we had sold it to the. Bri-tish-Government, and it must be said that the lambs made a very good imprtfsion in the States. "The lambs arrived here in splendid condition. They were a grand lot, probably some of the finest of this season's output. The butchers here were astonished at the wonderful quality of the meat. Most of them had never seen such a big line of first-class lambs before. American lambs are not to be compared with ours, and I can say this quite apart from my own judgment, because so many buyers and butchers have remarked on the shape, condition, and appearance of'the lambs. "The third cargo to arrive in Ampvica this year was unloaded in New York on June 1, bringing the total number of lambs to 500,000 (five hundred thousand). The fact that these can be sold here at such a high figure at a time when the cold stores in England are full, should be very satisfactory to the New Zealand farmers, and I look forward to seeing more New Zealand lambs coming over here as soon as the Government restrictions are removed, for it would empty the cold stores in New I Zealand and help to restore our credit | in America."

Tf you give reasonable notice, your Truck will be fitted with NORTH BRITISH TYRES without the loss of an hour's working. There's an agent close to £OQ. 407