® 
to desert their societies in favour of proprietary concerns during 
times of high prices, is not unknown in the co-operative meat- 
works in both New Zealand and Australia. 
With regard to weight grades, first-grade lambs, 28 to 36 Ib, 
are known in New Zealand as ‘‘ twos,” 36 to 42 1b. as ‘ eights,” 
42 to 48 Ib. as “fours.” ~~ As with Australian lamb, ‘ twos” 
and ‘‘ eights >’ with an average weight are usually sold together. 
The present high demand for light-weights applies also to New 
Zealand goods; for example, good second-quality lambs of about 
32 lb. weight not infrequently command higher prices than 
“eights.” 
The New Zealand killing season follows after the Australian 
and usually begins in the North Island about November and 
in the South Island roughly a month later. The first ““ new 
season’s ”’ mutton and lamb usually reach this country, therefore, 
at the end of December, or early in January. With good and 
long seasons, there is always overlapping on the English market ; 
for, as New Zealand killing may go on into August, mutton and 
lamb of that season may be reaching this country as late as 
December, when new season’s meat from Australia is on offer. 
In January, February and March, mutton and lamb from both 
countries are arriving, also lambs from South America, so that 
during the first four months of each year, arrivals are generally 
heavy. The heaviest shipments of lamb from Australia usually 
arrive here in December, January and February, and the heaviest 
from New Zealand after February. The arrivals from South 
America are fairly uniform throughout the vear (see Table II, on 
p. 59). 
New Zealand mutton and lamb are famous for their excel- 
lence, a result of careful breeding and rigid grading. Not all the 
works have kept to the same high standard, but the Meat Board 
recently set up (see p. 48) has taken this question in hand, and 
no doubt the result will make for greater uniformity throughout 
the trade. South Island brands are usually assessed higher than 
those of North Island, but many of the latter leave little to be 
desired. From South Island come, of course, the famous mutten 
and lamb of the Canterbury Plain; though other brands may 
be equal in quality, the Canterbury brands stand highest in 
public favour, which is testimony to the value of good breeding 
followed by good grading. It is also an illustration of the 
‘ package ” nature of the trade, for good brands sell on their 
name and reputation, which, however, take time to establish. 
It is sometimes alleged that lamb sold by butchers as Canterbury 
lamb has often no right to this description.* If this is so, and 
since Canterbury brands retain their character of excellence and 
continue to be eagerly sought after, it must be inferred that a 
discriminating purchaser who is supplied with the less well-known 
brands under the ¢ Canterbury” label must find them up to 
the presumptive standard or the practice could not continue. 
td. 2290. 1925.