THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 1912. THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10619, 26 April 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 1912. THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

In reporting cn. the finding 0 f tlio Customs Cb.nmiss, Toners, deputed s by the French Government to investigate the question of cheapening ("he cost of Mving, dhe High Commissioner for New Zealand, under date ol' 1 6th January :last, sends a summary of the very interesting report in question. Briefly, the finding o <f tJio Commissionem is (to the effect that while no encouragement whatever should be given to . the importation of frown, meat from outside countries, a trade in frozen meat with French' colonies should he developed and facilitated in every way, while the farmers of France are 1 also to he assisted in their enterprise, 'flie restrictive sanitary regulations wliicih demalul that the carcases -must be imported entirely with the viscera adhering are to remain- in force. Dealing with tilie dearness of meat in France, tllie Commissioners point out that meat .has also risen in value in other countries. Since the year 1903 the rise in value in France has been at the rate of 12 i>er cent, for beef, veal, and mutton; and, further, that the index numbers of forty-five of the chief ctosses of goods sold in tho Lon-' don markets have during the same period risen, to precisely the same extent In common with many economists, the Commission considers that- the diminution in the pitirdhasing, power «f gold is one of the causes of the rise. Among other reasons attributed to the

increasing dearnes»s of meat,the principal are considered to be the progresivo increase in /the consumption ,of butcher's meat and the increasing ccwst of agricultural production. As .to tlie former, French statistics show that wfcreas in 1562 the quantity of moat consumed per head cif population was but 20.9 'kilos (1 kilo — .n 19v.9 it was 57.01 ksfos. Further, tiho increase in meat production 1:1 the past seven years litis been over 20 pei cent. Again, .butchers have now a great deal of diifliciulty in getting rid of their second quality meat. The traditional stews and hashes are being gradually replaced by legs oi mixtion, roast •joints, and beef steaks, v. bich ar? mere rapidly prepared—a tendency, by the way, which has been repeatedly emphasised by ibutellers in New Zealand. As to the cost o-f agricultural .production, the depopulation of rurail districts lias beeil ;Y contributing factor; the salaries of labourers lias tended- tfl' rise; and manure® have greatly risen in value during the last ten. years; while such items as harness, cartwright's and farrier' s work all tend to increase in cost year by year. In fact, every branch of the a'grioulturi.st'& work lis becoming more expensive. The peasant also, the Gommisriionere point out, is going in more and more for insurance against accident while at work, death of stoc<k, loss of crops, etc., all of which factors act upon the cost of production. A& to' the scarcity and dea.rnees of meat in France lastyear, which occasioned the crisis reported in ithe cables, t3i)o Cbmmissim'fcrs eta to that thi.s was duo to P-.-ods and violent etorms; inferior quality of the forage, owiing to ithe conditions .under which it-was grown; the; extraordinary deficiency in ithe potlato crop; .and the epidemic of acfueous cachexy, etc., which decimated 1 the eheep flocks. According to figures published by the ithe 'prices' during the -th/ree.months preceding itHue, ( the report were back to a comparatively -low level, almost to the moan rates for the years 1908-10. After .referring to the increased price*? of : the value of Argentine beef, as* v,x:!i , as that of Canada, the Oommissionerr, remark- -that the fact should l not be ,'lo.st sight of that the available excess l of nveat liar ithe great. producing .countries is yeair by year 'ditaimslHiig. The popiilhtdosi of the-Undted Stiitee; is ; m- : creasing enormously,..and/ishe~oxp6rts 3ej® and less yearly of meat and 'wheat.? Figures; are. giveav to show thaffc; the importation of frozen beef into England from the. United Stat.;* has greatly diminished. According to a table, accompanying the Cominissioner'ft .repent, tiho fa'l'liaig-off in the num.bbr of sheep in; France between 1562 aaidi .1910 was 12,390,000 head— "a ee'riouis aiitwation. The reasons suggested for this are the following: The intensive culture of to-day; the suppression wf .fal'low land; the partition of fange estates; t'he cf tho liajnd ; the repenting of the mountain 'lands; and the difficulties of agriculturists .in getting good shepherds even w fifth ,the promise of good salaries 31. .view of'ithjiis position the Commissi oners oolnsddier the proposal to introtl-ui-foreign routton>by the lowering of the Customs duties "a- grave measure, bringing risk to the very interests thiat they wish to safeguard, and dea.l- - a fatal iblow to sheep raising." As to titoe encouraging 'of the importa- ■ tion of meat from- Frendh colonics, the ; report sayis: "The Government lias ...consideifd laill the diffiou&i>;§s of tfcfc ' situation, and lias dec.id.ed" to faeilitate the access, to the (markets of tb?" . metropolis of meat from our Colonies ,by c-rganising sanitary iiifwctkm at place cif shipment, and dispensing with the obligation regarding the adherence of'internal organs in the caw I af d:a:l iineat rcherefroro."