"PRIME CANTERBURY."

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11010, 6 July 1901, Page 9

"PRIME CANTERBURY."

ARGENTINE MUTTON IN MAS- • t ' QUERADE. A NEW ZEALANDER'S EXPERIENCES. (FROJI OVR OWN COKBESPOSDENT.I .. From Mr D. Crewe, who is well-knoifn in connection with pastoral and matters in the Wellington Province, X |ay« just received some mtereating particular,s o£ his experiences in connection with the'sale of frozen meat in London. Hs has be4it exerting himsjlf assiduously to find little tricks and ways of those Looking around among the London butchers' Bhops he was not long before he "spotted" several that offered for sale "prime Canterbury lamb." So Mr Crewe went into one of | these shops and had a look at this "prime Canterbury lamb," but was disgusted to find it of quality co inferior that he promptly decided it could never have come from Canterbury, New Zealand, even had it not borne certain marks which settled its *whenc«" quite conclusively. So he ab once started hostile operations. "I want some Canterbury lamb," he said. The salesman came forward smiling and rubbing his hands. "Certainly, sir, here you are, a very nice puce 01 Canteibury lamb." "Is that New Zealand meat?" asked Mr Cxewe. The salesman was shocked—almost horrified. "Oh, dear no," he answered, indignantly. "We never sell New Zealand meat to our customers. Oh, ho, that is real Canterbury lamb." 'Then you mean it comes from Canterbury in Kent?" enquired Mr Crewe. "Weil, I do not know, sir," said the salesman ; 1 only know it is Canterbury lamb, and not New Zealand." At this stage the master ef the shop came forward, and asked what tae discussion was about. Ihe circumstances were duly related to him, whiieupon he endorsed the assurance of his salesman that the lamb ~as "genuine Canterbury," and that he was never guilty of so vile an act as the sale of New Zealand meat. "Take off that ticket," ordered Mr Crtwe, angrily. "It is a fraud. You know quite well that Canterbury lamb means New Zealand lamb, and that is not New Zealand or anything like it. It is small Biver Plate mutton, and not even lamb at all. And it never came from Canterbury." The Dutcher was startled, but still held his ground for a while. Mr Urewe, however, warmed to his subject, and proceeded to demonstrate tie position with such characteristio vigour and emphasis that the butcher gradually awoke to the fact that he was dealing with an expert. Immediately that this discovery dawned upon him he collapsed like a punctured bladder, or, if I may put it in another way, he procedeed to climb down with most undignified and inconvenient haste. He. began a whole round of plausible, but ma-nifestly false, excuses and explanations. Mr Crewe cut him short by ordering a quarter of that alleged Canterbury lamb, intimating pretty plainly that if it were sold to him as "prime* Canterbury," being what it was, be should have his recourse against the butcher for attempted fraud. The butcher began to squirm. He turned pale, and broke out in a profuse perspiration. He said he should be most happy to supply Mr Crewe with some excellent lamb, and he hoped he would accept this joint as a present. The butcher cut off the joint asked for, and on being weighed it was found that the price would be 5s <d; but the vendor intimated delicately to Mr Crewe that he could not think of accepting payment for it, and should be happy to send it to him as a present, hoping that he would be a regular customer. The New Zealander of course declined to accept any such gift, and went on to read the butcher a severe lecture on the impropriety of his conduct* pointing out to him that there was no earthly reason why he should not sell New Zealand lamb, and sell it under its own name, as if it were genuine it would command a good sale, and that if he persisted in this sort of double fraud—offering small Argentine mutton as Canterbury lamb, and then pretending that that meant English meat, he would get himself into very serious trouble. Mr Crewe then left the shop and went his way, first leaving his address to which was to b* sent the meat he had bought and paid for. It auly arrived, and three days later Mr Crewe was amused to receive a shoulder of lamb, which had been sent to* hfan as a present by the butcher whom he !rad so greatly terrified. I may say that the hopes expressed by the butcher that Mr Crewe would become a regular customer have not been realised.