MEAT IN BRITAIN.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 July 1921, Page 6

MEAT IN BRITAIN.

HUGE ACCUMULATIONS, STORES HEAVILY TAXED. London, May 17. Owing to the over-supply of imported meat the capacity of the cold stores throughout the country is being severely tested. The position is to be discussed this week at a meeting of the principal meat importers of Smithfield, .-ome of whom are inclined to accuse the retail butchers of causing the glut by keeping up prices and thus restricting consumption. Whatever grounds there are for this accusation, the fact remains that the quantity of meat which has arrived during the past six weeks is unusually large. The following table shows the figures for April:—

In addition, 260,377 quarters of chilled beef came from the River Plate. During the first 11 days of May 43,000 carcases of New Zealand mutton came from New York; 177,000 carcases of mutton, 157,000 carcases of lamb, and 17,000 quarters of beef came from New Zealand, and from South America the arrivals were 209,000 carcases of mutton, 188,000 of lamb, 158,000 quarters of frozen beef, and 95,000 quarters of chilled beef. There are in store 880,000 carcases of Government-owned meat, which alone must take up considerable space, and the Somerset, which came in about three weeks ago, is only partly unloaded of her cargo, most Which is Government stock. In the meantime South America has been advised to stop the shipment of meat until the conditions ruling at the present time have improved. Doubtless, the slump has been largely caused by the coal strike, for those people who are directly affected have not the money to buy; those. w’’o are not provided with gas ovens have not the coal to waste on a roast, and gas users have been requested not to use their ovens. Hence, people are buying in small, choice quantities. The Times takes up the suggestion made in wholesale circles that if the retail prices were to be reduced the cost of living would be materially lowered. and the consumption would increase. Wholesale prices of New Zealand mutton in the Smithfield market, it-is pointed out, ranged last week from 54d to B|d per lb, according to the description. These were the prices for cut ewes, whole ewes, cut wethers, and whole wethers.

Mutton. Lamb. Frozen Beef. Carcases. Carcases. Carcases. Australia ... 28,592 37,497 81,252 New Zealand 216,000 365,000 50,000 River Plate 238,011 299,757 336,414 - — — 482,603 702,254 467,666