492 



New Zealand Meat Exports. 



merinos ; the wool clip as a whole was generally good and 

 above the average. The diminution in pigs is attributed to, 

 probably, increased prices of grain, combined with excep- 

 tionally dry weather and consequent scarcity of roots. 



Meat Exports from New Zealand. 



The Secretary for Agriculture for New Zealand, in his 

 Report for 1898, states that the shipments of frozen meat 

 from that Colony during the year ending 31st March, 1898, 

 amounted to 1,736,546 carcases of mutton, 1,258,658 carcases 

 of lamb, and 69,494 cwts. of beef. These figures show consider- 

 able increases over the previous year. The total weight of 

 the mutton and lamb was 1,368,668 cwts., valued at 

 £ii545j769, as compared with £1,1/^2^^12 in 1896-7. The 

 export of lamb is being increased rapidly, and it is 

 anticipated that it will shortly exceed that of mutton. The 

 beef was valued at ^74,406. 



The growth of the trade in frozen mutton during the past 

 fifteen years may be exhibited in the following table, in 

 which are included the exports of beef, so far as specified in 

 the Report : — 



Year ending 31st March. 



Mutton. 



Lamb. 



Beef. 





Carcases. 



Carcases. 



Cwts. 



1882 (estimated) - 





30,488 







1883 „ - - 





173,988 







1888 - - - - 





931 



526 







1893 - - - - 



1,300,717 







325,659 



37,074 



1896 - : - 



1,692,980 







730,034 



26,240 



1897 - - - - 



1,428,430 







781,539 



22,892 



1898 - - - - 



1,736,546 







1,258,658 



69,494 



It will thus be seen that the falling off which had taken 

 place in the exports of mutton in 1896-7 has been more than 

 recovered. The exports of beef are more than treble the 

 quantities shipped in the previous year ; but the development 

 of this trade is not so well shown by the above table as is 



