The Frozen Meat Trade.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 3082, 17 December 1888, Page 2

The Frozen Meat Trade.

. The profitless nature of the frozen , meat industry, at least to the grower of tho mutton and the meat-freezing company, has on many occasions been the subject'of complaint in New Zoai land und Australia, Noverthelesnhe [ shipping companies ; have steadily j enlarged their capacity and their cargoes of meat, and all have worked . with energy towards tho development of the now industry. Tho latest up-: . shot in these endeavors is an arrange- ' ment that, wo understand, has just been concludsd between Nelson Bros,, ' Limited, the Shaw, Saville and AJbion Company, and tho New Zealand Shipping Company, for a division of gross receipts from tho sale of frozen meat upon. a sort Of sliding , soiilo. The shippow of meat are, we learn, to be allowed 2Jd per lb on i delivery of frozen mutton free on . board" in the principal New Zealand , harbours, Freight will bo calculated , on a minimum of Id per lb and allow- ' ing |d for other charges wo roacli a price of 3fd , or (say) 2s 6d per atone • The present price' of New Zealand .■muttonat Smithfiold is 3s per stone i or ljd per lb, We understand that i tho prico from 3Jd up to 4Jd per lb is to bo divided equally between freigbt and, for example, Nelson Brothers,! Limited, while from 4£d up to 5d 40 : per cent is to bo allowed to tho shippers, and GO por cent to bo paid to! tho other parties. Above : fid per lb 1 the- shippers are to take.Bo per cent, Thus, those engaged in'the growing and slaugliteringindustry in the colony will as a minimum secure a price i that may be regarded as tangible, and ■ if agency and freight obtain, an adva'n. tage.at the higher range of prices, that is a just equivalent for their initial 1 concessions, Theso particulars havoj wo understand, been cabled to Australia and Now Zealand, where they will certainly be read lritii interest. ' The expansion of this industry is not only of vast importance to New Zealand and of growing importance to Australia, but is well-nigh vital to the shipping companies engaged in the New Zealand trade. Last; year this country received 441,289 cwts of mutton from Australasia (New Zealand wholly), which, eveu at l{d per lb freight, meant £257,400 to tho shipping companies, apart from the other agency and marketing charges, and there is no doubt that, retailed in this country, the meat was ultimately paid for by tho consumer to the tune of a good deal over £1,000,000. This year the trade from Australasia bids fair to expand by another 100,000cwt and the value of the freights has likewise grown, if not' in a corresponding degrefe, and if, as we believe, it will bo found tlint New Zealand can supply us yearly with COO,OOO cwts or more without overstraining her resources, besides frozen beef (now a growing industry), butter und cheese, wo have here a demand upon the space of the freezing chamber not easily to be satisfied, if a workable profit only is shown, Theso figureß do not take Australian supplies into cousideratioui With such great interests: at'stako we are the more gratified to record tho arrangement for the sliding scale now concluded. Tho consumption of the mutton is a 1 far more constant quantity than it 1 used to be, and will ■ grow witb the , supplies! now recognized us-uo longer 1 intermittent, "-British Australasian. 1