NEW ZEALAND MUTTON IN THE ENGLISH MARKET.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2225, 12 October 1886, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND MUTTON IN THE ENGLISH MARKET.

Thk London correspondent ot the Herald writes under date August 27th :— 14 Messrs. Nelson Bros. (Limited) have just opened up n branch of the business at Plymouth, for tho purpo-eof »upplyingjNew Zealand frozen mutton to the south-west of England. List week Mr P. M. Nelson gave a lunch to a number of gentlemen, including the Mayor of JDavonpoil, whom he lud invited to inspect his floating piemi&es on board a hulk at the Great Western Dock. After lunch Mr Nelson gave a short statement of the present condition of the New Zealand frozen mutton trade. He said that at the station of his company, at Tomoana, Hawke's Bay, they killed during nine months of the year an average of 1000 sheep a day. In the London pi onuses they had steam capacity for freezing about forty thousand carcases. The prices of English mutton had of late be -n so low that the growers of New Zealand meat got very little for their pioduce. One penny or twopence per pound was about the a vet age profit, and it they got twopence per pound they ought to be satisfied. In London, Mr Nelson said their business was going ou well. They were selling fiom 00,000 to 70,000 sheep per week, and the xeason for establishing a houje at Plymouth was to relieve London from an excoss of supply. This would be a distinct trade in itself, and they looked forward to getting prices sufficient to make it pay. The New Zealand boats generally came to Plymouth ou their way to London, and so they would be able to unship then cargo at Plymouth without going to London at all. The quantity of New Zealand mutton impoited into England was 50,000,0001bs per annum. The consumption of meat in England was 2000 tons daily more than the country produced. This meant that England had to import 000,000 tons of meat per annum to meet the demands of her population, and it would thus be seen what a large field existed for the enterprise of Now Zealand meat exporters. In New Zealand there were fifteen millions of sheep, and only half a million of people. In Great Britain there were 35,000,000 of people and only 30,000,000 bheep.