NEW ZEALAND MEAT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3164, 9 March 1911, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND MEAT.

THE PRICES OBTAINED AT HOME

VIEWS OF A LONDON MERCHANT

While in Wellington recently, the Mayor (Mr. W. D. Lysnar) had an interview with Mr. M Barnett, of London, on the subject of New Zealand’s meat trade- with the Home. Country. Mr. Barnett is a member of the firm c-f E. Barnett and Co., Ltd., one of the largest firms dealing in meat in London, and he is an acknowledged authority on the subject. The Mayor, upon his return to Gisborne yesterday, kindly gave a “Times” reporter some details of tile interview.

He explained that Mr. Barnett said lie had read his (Mr. Lysnar’s) report and that of the New Zealand Committee, as well as various comments in the New Zealand press, and endorsed everything that had been said, excepting the suggestion as to the prudence of using some, of the West of England ports for distribution, instead of London. One could not get away from the fact, he declared, that London was the best centre. Mr. Barnett agreed with Mr. Lysnar’s statement that the producer was not getting a fair run at- Home, and that it was only right they should he represented there.’ In support of his assertion, Mr. Barnett said that a good English sheep at Home, m the wool, weighing from 601bs to 641bs, was worth about £2 Bs. He considered our New Zealand mutton- was equal to that of English mutton. The New Zealand producer, further stated Mr. Lvsnar, would get- from 15s to £1 for that same sheep here. Add to that the cost of taking it Home, etc., ljd per lb—7s 6d; that represented only £1 7s 6d, It would thus be seen, on Mr. Barnett’s figures, the farmers of the Dominion were getting £1 less per sheep than they should—practically half its real value. Mr. Barnett told Mr. Lysnar that the wholesale price of such meat at Smith field was from 7ld to 8d per lb, and he considered New Zealand growers were entitled to that amount, and would get it if things were. on a proper basis. This meat was retailed from 7d to- Is.

Regarding beef, lie stated that'a good cattle beast of about SOOlbs was worth £23 to £24 (on- its legs). The wholesale price at Sniithfield would be about 6d per lb. It would be retailed at from 7d to Is, according to the joints. The price the producer in New Zealand would get for a similar beast, remarked Mr. Lvsnar, would be- from £8 to £lO.