FROZEN MEAT INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 96, 16 January 1908, Page 2

FROZEN MEAT INDUSTRY.

SCOPE FOR i[ DAMAGE THAT COULD BE AVOIDED.'j! uows ihas; served;toconfirm,thc'Viowj* published in. The Dominion'last Mondaythai?" oiw of the aims of the proposed 'co-operation;' or. our freezing ■ companiosilwas to improve tho > ■' markoting. of .Now . ZealaiM: frozon. m(»t' in k' England, ~ In „ an-. interview ?reported v iu'i ■ The Dominion yesterday, Mr. String<!r' Secretary of the Auckland[Farmers' Freezing rP III P an y) Eaid.."itavas. wijU. lwowfi''that? tho y' heezing companies in Nov} Zealand tools tW greatost. care in ,'the.,- slaughtering ■ dressing* freezing, ~an<} shipping, of [meat, ,and. it wa ß ' J piit on board in a/tb or oughly;cloan. condition's' 1 and well frozen; but>some of those interestodi' m the industry, who hail been Homo, re-n ported_that it .was painful jto see the caroleis-" ness, displayed in tno .discliargo of :the l; and the filthy [which some of the 1 carcasses arrived. All theso matters could!, be j improved -if- thei^o.. was <i someone 'With • an* 'v 1 thority :to>act ; for, the companies." -i ■ ■ V-'i . This statement is in striking contrast to\ the somewhat'• hysterical!! raised in Bomo quarters'that'-th'e. bt'ationin'g ' ' of a Government; veterinary "inspectijr at 'the Homo end was an unmorited slight'- thafc'conjv mereial moil would: resent:■ ;.;So> also'iß's.fte v '- ; following, from "Lloyd'!; Shipping /.Ga- - zette"-:—.. ... ; ; : "vv7-v>]['V " A Ticklish Interest tor Insurance." * ; • ' - "Frozen meat from the e,ntipddes was long ; regarded as a ticklish insurance,'.' auds even, yet : its reputation is- not. first-rate. * ■ In its freezing, transport! |ihd delivery much ' has been learned, but chums for damage, Sometimes heavy claniiSj' arii still by- no means case, of.accident to th 6 carrying : t ship, or of some breakdown,'of hor machinery, there, is no mystery as- to tho-cause of>dam-- : ago ;i but oil tho whole the 1 meat is satisfactorily earned between shoreland Bhbre' v Somoi ; = times, possibly more frequently-, than-appears, • it, gets, soft •between .factory and. ship.- - received into a hold of, which 'the-temperature has not been properly, reduced, sin- such cases tho lower tiers are apt to got,crushed out of shape,, and, , howover, : hard/.-frozen l subse* quently, the. .carcasses tell,their;own story-' on •• ■ discharge. ;,' Whether rthe ;fault is-with-the shipper, or. the, ship' often remains, "however; ' a. :poiilt: of -speoulatioji; the: mysteries of meat .damage are !-not-' infrequently, too vdeep to fathom.. Then, there is, the'srisk'-at the' 1 arrival end. ' Carcasses sometimes are d(>-t liyered,: or'- affirmed-j to. have fcji>£en» delivered jr - from the. !ghif>. in . condition, .quite;' firsti-rate,* only to. prove. badly 'off colour,' or,even.'moroT Boriously affected,, when, they, are o ', surveyed! 1 in'frozen store." , . Vl | , ,4 Damage between Ship and Store.- ; - >''Thestoreowner, like'- the" stfipowiier, is' l :. indignant ,at the'-mero suggestion"of''i *'re- ! flection I.on -.; his - refrigerating'* engines, and 5 produces his temperature 'log in -p?oof ;off'hi's? denials. .•_ /Where then, or: how, did'thci. judice arise? ' The owiierslof the stores.'afe' utterly at a.'.loss .for -an • explanat'ioH' ! iE l ' , !'iES' fault'be' not r :>vith / thfe ? shit>-'The; sliipottnefs : , know nothing-'at''all- 'about -it; : having. 'piit! the ' meat' overside'-'hard, frozen"; :6fc* sb>theyV' affirm with : every appearance '-,of "tonWetioni'' The meat was, perhaps, ; .a couplft on the voyage, and'.'several' weeks- iii Store! at :' dostinatioiy; and^'<»miia'iuti^el;v|)Uti ; tß'VW hours nn'passing'from: ship;.to;sfore^''^Ajid' yet there can : be little; doubt 'that'.- m s :mEtances riot!a few it'is'just these'feVihouffe,: ' these few.' hours, more 'or : :less-^which'' : 'lre l \ responsible' for-the damage. . .at? v rives: under'all sorts of marks,' 1 more for'iess mixed together: VThtt' colonial'-shipper" , : lovfes a'variety of ; marks. - . A-' 1 barge is : 's6itrdoW|i to the just-arrived steamer for carcafcSes'of 1 a particular l markj and as the barges'earcaises are found they iV are lowered into There they' lie,' in'"a ro'om£ hold,-, perhaps ■ in-;hot 1 ojf. muggy weather, waiting itill. the •'iffet'-flanW found, ferhaps''this may r n"ot-'be':fortsom6 time;; the.- shipment -may- bo" scatteredi-HbOuk-the steamer's' hold j and- the - barget has' - £0' leave eventually--witlii'her- holdi'lialf.' fnll : iof meat and - half!- full- of warm she comeß bwk, l hahpng;abbut;V.pr6bjbly with-her;,hatches off,: and waits for ,tHe;res't pf: her: load. ' Albthevtime'fany meat ■taken"; into,, the'•barge's' hold, soft,y«and; perhaps at'-.the end- of its -journey the ; car-' casses, liave further to be Parted tlirou^i''tHe": \ streets .to a frozen store! ■; All .this may fee.'i - inevitable, but it requires no' meat'expert -lio - arrive at the r conclusion 'that much of,,tha; damage which colonial meat is made to suff&i'' is damag'o which occurred neither previous to shipment nor during the ocean ;voyage. ' Tho history of -it may • oe.. difficult or impossible in'a particular case'to: prove; but thatj more especially in 4 hot weather,' it occurred between ship and -store'; is in 'many cases'-•tolerably certain." :>, . ' '•'■