lo Mar.. 1911.] MaiicJiestcr : A Market for Australian Produce. 165 



The respective charges on fruit consignments sold at Manchester and 

 London are : — 



Manchester. London. 



6d. per box of 40 lbs., plus 2 jjer grl. and lod. per box of 50 lbs., plus 



cent, for brokerage for sale in 5 per cent, for brokerage and 



the auction-room and guarantee guarantee of proceeds, 

 of proceeds. 



These include the dock cliarges in both instances. 



The following statement furnishes .some evidence of the efforts made 

 ■ bv Canadian and American traders to supi)ly the Manchester market : — 



Direct Sailings jrom X orth America to Manchester. 



From Sailings. 



Montreal ... ... ... ... ) Weekly. 



Quebec ... ... ... ... ) 



Halifax ... ... ... ... | Fortnightly. 



St. John (Winter) ... ... ... I 



St. John (Summer) ... ... ... Three-weekly. 



Boston ... ... ... ... Fortnightly. 



New \'ork ... ... ... ... Forcnightl\. 



I'hiladelphia ... ... ... ... Fortnightly. 



There can he no doulit that the ^^ctorian grower of grapes for export 

 has, owing to fall of the sea.sons, a grett advantage in the markets of 

 Great Britain over the growers in the Northern hemisphere. The distance 

 of Victoria from Great Britain, however, makes it necessary to secure the 

 nearest market in England, and the market where such perishable fruit 

 as gra]:)es would be subject to the least possible handling. The West of 

 England is nearest. Grapes would be subject to fewer handlings at 

 Manchester, antl I venture to say that such fruits could be delivered at 

 the London market through Manchester at less risk than they could by 

 Avay of the T^ondon Docks. It is not too much to say that the future of 

 the ex])()rt trade in fresh gra])es from Australia largely depends upon the 

 ope ling 11]) of direct transport facilities with the West of England. 



The following figures prove that other fruit-prodticing communities 

 • ccnsider Manchester a most profitable market : — 



In i8()i (the year the Ship Canal was opened to traffic), 17,723 tons of fresh 

 fruit were landed at Manchester from oversea. 



In iyo2 the tonnage had grown to 46,035, and in ujot) to 115, ((47. 



1''rozen Mkat. 



i'.\-en under the present unsatisfactory conditions. Lancashire is said 

 to be the largest consuming county in the United Kingdom for Australian 

 mutton. f>xi)erts have informed me that Australian carcases which are 

 small and lean are peculiarly pf)i)ular among the working cla.s.ses. Since 

 the inauguration of the Frozen Meat Trade the Argentine producers have, 

 with great keenness, stiwlied the tastes of the oix-rators in the Lancashire 

 and N'orkshire Mills, and now produce a nie.it which is well known and 

 liki'd ; (•onse(|ueiitl\ . .\rgentine mutton sells at a better price than Aus- 

 tralian mutton. \l\ informants are. however, of the opinion that if the 

 Australian producers studied the ie(|uirenients with diual care, and arranged 

 ilirect shipments, the Australian mutton would command better prices. 

 The fa( torv operatives do not desire tat meat. .New Zealand mutton is 

 considered too fat, too large, and too dear for the working classes. Th.:t 

 from the ArgentM)e and Australia is more suitable, .ind the South Ameri- 

 can mutton, though similar in rharactir to Australian, is most in demand, 

 iiiecau.se it lcx)ks brighter and is dI brtler .ippe.irance. 



