{ 
7 
certainly received a valuable advertisement. The spread of the 
trade has been assisted also by the comparative cheapness of 
the article and it is, perhaps, not surprising that in those 
industrial areas where wages are low and employment uncertain, 
great strides have been made in the sale of imported meat. The 
sontinuous nature of the supplies of frozen lamb has also exer- 
sised an important influence. Lamb and green peas used 
formerly to have the force of associated ideas, but now imported 
lamb is in free supply throughout the year. It is no longer an 
sssentially spring luxury, though its relatively high price may 
place it beyond the reach of many households. Its prevalence 
throughout the year, too, is exercising a natural reaction on 
mutton consumption and tending to reduce the demand for 
home-killed mutton as well as, of course, restricting the demand 
for the imported article. 
With his direct contact and personal influence, the retailer 
vields considerable power in the creation of consumer demand 
and in the matter of sales. Hence the effect of control on the 
butchering trade itself was of supreme importance, for it intro- 
luced many butchers to the trade in imported meat which 
enabled them to make satisfactory profits with the minimum of 
srouble and inconvenience. This undoubtedly had its effect 
after control was withdrawn, but it should be remarked that the 
majority of butchers still prefer to kill and dress their own meat, 
if possible, and regard the task of preparing a good carcase for 
sale as an art which yields the satisfaction that the exercise of 
judgment and skill alone can give. 
Finally, the spread of the retail holdings of the large importing 
houses should be noted; this is probably the most interesting 
feature of the retail meat trade at the present moment. Exten- 
sion in this direction may be effected in two ways; the company 
may establish shops which enter into competition with those of 
sther retailers, or it may absorb established businesses. The 
latter is now the method usually adopted as, though it is the 
more expensive at the time, the fact that the.new business 
already has an established and regular sale enables it to be readily 
worked in the general organisation. Where the business absorbed 
has been engaged in the sale of home-killed meat, it will usually 
be arranged to continue this trade in order to retain goodwill, 
but it is obvious that the tendency must be for the sale of 
imported meat to be encouraged at the expense of the home- 
produced article, since it is upon the sale of imported meat that 
the general economy of the large importing company is founded. 
[t must be remembered, too, that the power of a large company 
cannot be measured merely by its retail departments, but by 
the general resources which it commands. The entry of large 
importing houses into the sphere of retail distribution and its 
reaction on the sale of home-produced meat is worthy of careful 
attention. * 
See “ Report of Linlithgow Committee on Meat. Poultry and Eggs.” 
“nd 1027 19249. 
Ade