THE PRICE OF MEAT

Waikato Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2298, 2 April 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE PRICE OF MEAT

IIAWKRA STAK. In a fatcening .district, where beef and mutton represent income and profit, no apology should be required for devoting special attention to the ■ above subject. The particular matter to which it is desired to direct notice is an article which appeared at the latter end of January in the Ddndee Advertiser. It appears to be of sufficient importance to justify O'.u - reprinting it in full :— " English fed boef has this week been sold in the Stnithfield Dead Meat Market for 2Jjd per pound : Texas frozen beef (the first crrgo of it) for 2d per pound, and Texas mutton (also the first cargo) for 3d per pound. Ot course these are extreme figures, both for home and foreign meat ; but the fact that they have been paid in the open market suggests one or two curious questions. Fivfit, what would be the rent which an English or Scotch farmer could afford to pay who sent his dead meat to London ami get a return of 2h<\ pr-r pound for it? The question is not only one of practical interest, but its urgency is undoubted, frr even at present prices the course of the markets ifl downward, and it looks as if next week even lower prices may be quoted. That the fall in the value of cattle is tremendous and significant, as Mr Gosohen says, is certainly true, but the mo»t significant part of it is that the fall is still going on all over the kingdom; and there is no indication whatever that the lowest price is yet within sight. Difficult as is the question raised for landlords and tenants hy the fall of prices, they have got to face it as best they may, and that speedily. But consumers have also a special interest in a questiou raised hy the ruling wholesale prices of meat. Why is it that consumers cannot as a rule purchase their meat by retail at less them an advance of from eighty to a hundred per cent, over tha dead meat wholesale price ? The Texas beef bought at twopence pnr pound in London has now gron<? into circulation over the kingdom, and what buyer can assure himself when he pays tenpence or a shilling per pound for meat, that his butcher has not Grot the beef he retails for twopence ? This may seem an extreme mode of putting it, but it is the simple truth. Take even the price of the: best Scotch beef, which was this week to per pound in Smithfield. If the Scotch feeders who sent the meat up to London were to open nhops in Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glassrow bv way of trial,; and restrict their sale price to 50 per cent, more than the Smithfield prices.' would thpre not be a run on their shops ?• and would they not find it an easier matter to meet their landlords on the next rent day ? Why should not Scotch farmers do what the farmers of Cheshire are doing at present in some of the principal towns «f that country ? They could hardly lose bv it, and consumers would gain a great deal."

There are one or two references in the above which may be explained. The reference, to Mr Gnsohin is doubtless directed at the subjoined paragraph, tiiken from the Times, beinir part of a report of Mr Gosohen's speech delivered fit Liverpool :—" Mark this—there has been a tremendous full, a very significant, fall, in the price of cattle in Ireland, and why is this ? IN it due to no other reason than bad seasons and bad pasturaare ? It is duo to the fact that, the class of stock has been allowed to deteriorate from bad to worse, and tluir. the absence of all provision for ."food sires and good stock for breedintr purposes has allowed this deterioration to tako place. And why is that ? Because there is such antagonism between landlord and tenant that the landlords are unable to adopt and apply those measures for the improvement of agriculture which in other countries are their first duty and their first privilege. (Cheers.) They boycott landlords in Ireland ; but they would boycott landlords' bulls if they kept them." The advertiser's reference to the Cheshire farmers is pointed at a proposed co-operative association of Lancashire and Yorkshire farmers, who have recently taken a large building in Warrington, which is undergoing extensive alterations. It is to be used as a farmers stores, for the sale of agricultural produce of all kinds, and is intended to bring; the producers and consumers into direct communication. The butchering depart.ncut will sell nothing but English-fed beef and mutton, and a dairy is being fitted up by the Aylesbury Dairy Company. It is worthy of remark, as bearing upon the o]uestion of what prospect English agriculturalists have Wore them, that the report of the Koyal Commission on the causes of the depression of trade, admits that bad seasons, combined with low prices, have depressed that industry more than any other. The commissioners hold out little hope of any improvement to that class. The fair trade party, who might be inclined to propose a protective duty on home fed meat in favour of English graziers, found only four supporters out of twenty-three commissioners, so that colonists need not at present be afraid of any protective duty being imposed by England to protect English at the expense of colonial and American graziers. There may be others who fear that the low prices now ruling for meat in England will continue. As against those who hold that view, it may be worth while to cite Mr Mulhall's opinion that Australia and the River Plate must soon become the grazing farms from which Europe, and especially Great Britain, will have to draw the meat supply which is now derived from the United States. And he. adds, "The actual deficit between England and the Continent is now (1885) 12,000 tons weekly, which before the end of the century will probably reach 20,000 tons, or one milliou tons per annum." This prediction if fully justified by the fact that the consumption of meat per inhabitant has risen 40 per cent, in Great Britain and 42 per cent, on the Continent since 1850. We propose at an early date to consider what conclusions as to the future of the New Zealand frozen meat trade may fairly be drawn from the above facts, when judged by the light of some recent accounts of sales of frozen meat which have beeu placed in our hands.