M£A T EXPOR T TRADE. 207 



tion. All tills shows voiy plainly that those most iutimately con- 

 uected with the meat export trade are fully convinced that a most 

 successful futuT'C lies before it. 



( 'iiiifi)ic)ital Trade. 



Though it will prohahly l)i' a considerable time l)et'ore Australian 

 frozen meat makes its way on to the Continent, yet it can only l)e a matter 

 of time, for the interests which are at play at present to keep out 

 imported meat must, sooner or later, give way. Once the Continent 

 of Europe relaxes existing I'cstrictions, and allows our meat to compete 

 for place, our difficulty will be not to find a market for the surplus 

 stock, but to find sufficient stock to supply the demand. Only a few 

 years ago, France was an exporter of sheep ; now we are told she 

 requii'es 1,000,000 sheep and 20,000 cattle annually to meet her 

 demands. Were it not for the restrictions which at present hamper 

 the import of Australian meat into France, that country should be an 

 excellent market for frozen merino mutton and canned meat. The 

 last-named should more especially find a ready sale if put up in 1-l-lb. 

 cans, for the use of restaurants ; for in France joints are not so much 

 in favour as stews and soups. 



The prospects of the trade have of late become far more hopeful. The 

 Special Commissioner of the Sydney Morning Herald Avrites that a new 

 company initiated by Mons. Brnn with a capital of £230,000, has built 

 cold storage rooms, sale rooms, and insulated cars, to bring frozen 

 meat from Havre. Beef and mutton is quoted wholesale in this market 

 at 8d. to 12d. per lb., and choice joints run to 18d. per lb. retail. As 

 the sheep most favoured in France is small, good lean young meat of 

 from 35 lb. to 42 lb. the carcase, there should be an opening for exactly 

 that class of sheep which at present it is found difficult to sell to 

 advantage, viz., young ewes cast for wool and ewes 5 or G years old 

 cast for age. If the Continental governments would open their ]-)orts, 

 or even reduce somewhat the present duties and restrictions i)laced on 

 Australian meat, great headway would immediately be made. 



A comparison of population and live stock will afford some idea of 

 the extent of the market. Germany, with 50,000,000 inhabitants, has 

 only 14,000,000 sheep. France, 38,000,000 people, and 30,000,000 sheep. 

 Belgium, 6,000,000 persons, and only 365,000 sheep. Already there 

 are storerooms and refrigerating works in Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, 

 and other places, and with care and energy on the part of exporters, 

 the huge continental outlet must ere long be won. 



We think enough has been put forward to show that there is an 

 unhmited market for our surplus stock if certain conditions are 

 observed. 



Conditions to he ohserved at this end. 



In the first place, the supply of meat should be ample and continuous, 

 in the second place it should consist of a palatable and marketable 

 article, and, finally, the price should be sufficiently low to enable it to 

 displace less attractive and less palatable food products. 1 lie first 

 condition is the one most difficult to fulfil, not only is it difficult to 

 keep up a continuous supply of fat stock fit for export ; but occasion- 

 ally it is no easy matter to maintain a full supply of the raw material, 



