CHILLED BEEF

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 288, 16 September 1933, Page 8

CHILLED BEEF

~<»- THE SECOND SHIPMENT. COAIPLETE SUCCESS REPORTED. (Special to the " Guardian.") WELLINGTON, Sept. 10. Tho promising experiment of shipping New Zealand chilled beef to England resulted on the second occasion in complete success, detailed proof of which is provided in the report just received from the New Zealand Meat Producers' Board's London manager. This shipment, it may be aecalled, was made by Messrs Thomas Borthwick and Sons, Ltd., on the Commonwealth and Dominion liner Port Fairy, which arrived at Southampton on Sunday, July 16. The cool chambers were opened on the following Tuesday. "The meat," reports the board's official, "turned out in excellent condition, and there was not a sign of either white mould or black spot. Tho colour and condition of the .meat was really excellent, and all agreed that this was the best-conditioned chilled beef that has ever arrived from either Australia or New Zealand."

A very wide distribution was arranged for this consignment, Messrs Borthwick and Sons sending 120 hindquarters to Smithfield for the following day's market, and 150 hindquarters for'tho next day's Smithfield trade. Tho balance of tho consignment of the 520 hinds was sent by road to Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Brighton, Croydon and Kingston. Thus it was distributed in South Wales, the West of England, part of the Midlands, and on the South Coast, and special care was taken to place it among as many retailers as possible.

"The meat attracted an enormous amount of attention on Smithfield market," continues tho report, "and the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes and the Hon. Robert Masters paid a visit to the market in company with the chairman of the board, Mr David Jones, and myself, and inspected the meat." Discussing the prices realised, the report states that it was unforunate that the weather was so warm at the time of arrival of the shipment, as this affected prejudicially the prices of all beef. On tho day before the New Zealand consignment was opened up, Argentine chilled beef was selling at per lb, but towards the end of the week, owing to the warm weather, prices gave way, until Argentine chilled hindquarters were selling at 5Jd to s£d per lb, the average for the week being s|d per lb. "We cannot, of course, in these experimental shipments get the full Argentine prices, especially seeing that during the same week there was a shipment of South. African arriving, which comes over in wonderfully soft condition owing to its short journey of only eighteen days. South African beef, however, is not of the same quality, although its condition from the point of view of chilled beef is better than ours.

"Altogether," concludes the report, "the experiment can be recorded as being a pronounced success; and I am very proud that, New Zealand was the first country in the world to bring over a commercial shipment of meat with refrigeration assisted by carbondioxide gas."