CORRESPONDENCE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1380, 18 August 1885, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE. EXTRAORDINARY REVELATIONS. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —May I ask for a portion of your valuable space to make a few remarks on a subject of the utmost importance to the colony, viz., the Frozen Meat Trade. The recent conferences upon tins subject, if they have done nothing more, have at least borne ample testimony to the general diaitisfaction with results so far, that this dissatisfaction is well grounded the personal experience of myself and several of mj friends with whom I have compared notes, sufficiently proves, at least to ray mind. I am equally convinced that there is no good and sufficient reason why the trade should not be a profitable one, but to make it so the conditions under which it is carried on must be altered, and with wheat at 35s per quarter, and a drooping wool market, the sooner these conditions are altered the better for all concerned. I need not take up your space dilating on the importance of the trade, all I wish to do is to point out; First, how the present system is at fault ; and Secondly, how I think matters may be improved. I believe I do no more than justice to the Freezing Companies when I say that every care is taken by them, not only in the preparation of the carcases, but in their selection, when this last is under their control. It is very lamentable to think of the heavy losses which have been sustained by the arrival of meat in bad condition, which, with proper care might have been delivered at the port of discharge in as perfect condition as when it was shipped. All cargoes, however, do not arrive in bad order, and if one cargo can be well reported upon as to condition every cargo should be so too. The expenses incidental to the trade are very heavy, and they must always be so. Neither steamers nor sailing vessels can be fitted up with refrigerating chambers without heavy outlay, and a fair return in the way of freight must be made on that outlay. But do not let us pay a heavy freight and a heavy insurance as well. So long as steamers come in occasionally with heavy damage, as the Ruapehu did a short time ago, so long shall we have to pay a premium of insurance which is in itself a profit. But assuming that the meat is delivered in first-rate condition, are the conditions of distribution what they should be ? I say No, Since ray arrival in England 1 have done my utmost to make myself acquainted with this part of the subject, not only by personal observation, but by enquiry from others interested in the trade, and I very soon arrived at the conclusion that matters could not go on as they were doing. I am not the man to object to anyone receiving “a fair day’s wages for a fair day’s work,” but I do object most strongly to give “ my money for that which is not bread.” I will have fair value for my outlay or I will hold to my money. Now I say we shippers of frozen meat have not had fair value given us. The agents we have had have looked upon our frozen meat as merely one of the branches of their business, which built up their commission account at the end of the year to a handsome figure. They have let things slide, considering they had done their duty when they employed some well-known Smithfield salesman, and he in his turn was glad enough to get a good price foi the frozen meat if he could, because bis commission would be increased—but the Home trade after all was his standby, and if one had to go to the wall, it should be that in which ho was least interested. Our prime Canterbury wether mutton has been sold by the retail butcher as English, and our English friends have paid their one shilling per lb or more for, legs, and old Kent ewes have been sold as New Zealand ! Our wrappers have been put on Dutch multon, whch has then been sent into the country to supply orders for New Zealand meat; and River Plate mutton has been hung up in the shops, and enquirers, who did not know New Zealand mutton when they saw it, have been told that this was the real article ! Every possible device has been adopted to h strangle the trade, and yet it has grown, and with fair play will continue to grow. Canterbury frozen meat will hold its own against any mutton in the English market (that is to sny, in the world) on its merits. Let me then as briefly as 1 can point out what I consider to be the remedies for the present evils. In order that every cargo may arrive in first-class, condition it is to my thinking essential that there should be no doubt of the full capacity of the machines to do the work required of them. We should not have to be told “ that the engineers did all they could to bring the chamber down to the required temperature, and succeeded , fairly well till the vessel got into the tropics, and then the machine broke down.” Each steamer or sailing vessel should have double capacity, probably required to admit of contingencies. The keeping the temperature log ahould not be left to the engineer of the ship. A supercargo should accompany each shipment ; with £15,000 worth of meatjaboard, surely the passage money and wages of an efficient man might be incurred, He should have the control of the temperature, and if his orders were not obeyed, the Shipping Company should be held liable for all damage. The reduction in the insurance premium, if such a coarse were adopted, would more than pay the cost of the supercargo. We might then hope that the meat would always arrive in good condition. I now turn to the distribution question. I would throw over Smithfield altogether. Who are the men that make the profit out of us 1 The middle men in London. Very early in the course of my enquiries I arrived at this conclusion : To sell our meat profitably we must sell direct to the retail man. How are we to do this I By abandoning London, and cultivating the provincial trade. We cannot do this, however, with agents ; then we must cease to have agents. “ If you want a thing well done, do it yourself,” is a time-honored maxim. I would have a London office for the whole of the Freezing Companies—“union is strength.” The expenses of a London office would probably be less than one of the Companies now pays to its London agent. The Conference seems to have abandoned as hopeless such a scheme, but I am convinced the idea is the right one, and this is the way I would work it: I ahould recommend a small company to be formed, i the registered office ahould be situate in

England ; the capital should be about £20,000, with a power to increase, buttho amount called up need not be more than £SOOO. The shares in this Company should be held to a great extent by the shippers of frozen meat and other New Zealand products, whether company, firms, or individuals. The company should undertake at the current commission the sale of frozen meat, agricultural products, wool, grain, etc., and the purchase of plant, implements, seeds, and everything required by agriculturists. It should in fact be an agency for the Freezing Companies, or others in New Zealand and as the shareholders in it would mainly, if not exclusively, be those who contribute business to it, either as exporters or as importers generally, or both. The dividends, which the Company could not fail to earn if it were conducted purely as an agency, being divis able among those whose business had passed through the agency, would in fact constitute a discount on the commissions. In this way our industries would be their own agent. To such a Company I am willing to contribute both in money and time, and 1 have had in England of more than the required capital. I trust that this or some such scheme may receive the attention and consideration of those interested in the welfare of New Zealand. I may just add that it vould be impossible for me or any one else to float such a company without the cordial co-operation of the producers in the colony. Had it not been for the fear of trespassing too much on your space I could have added much to the details, —I am, etc,, WM PoSTLETH WAITE. London, June, 29,1885,