THE TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 121, 14 February 1908, Page 10

THE TRADE.

; HOW' THE MEAT IS* 'HANDLED AND DISTIimUTED. . ..Mr. ; G. ; Goodsir t ,:a; partner in the firm of Messrs'. Weddel and Co., the well-known colonial--produce; agents, of 16. St. ■ Helens Place, London,_ who is on a business tour of :the'rDomihion;-twas interviewed by a member .of...our.'.staff,, and; was asked .to > explain tho. "way .nieat. 'is. handled from the. ship's slings to'the consumers. .The's.s. lonic is-just-about—due in London, and Jlr. Goodsir.., ii:as .r.qqti.Qsted.to trace,the progress of the meat-ntbard-'that vessel. lt ' . . / "The lonici" said Mr. Goodsir, "will be bertlied"; at 'the Albert j Dock, and within 24 hours.- of f her 6arriv.nl,- tho discharge of ber frozeii'mcat w'ill"begiri. , To be more exact, .the discharge , ftf tlie .meat will,.begin as soon as . b'u'tter is; out, and with the present*' liiglf'prices ruling,, 'the butter will ;n.ot; ~be.;4illowed ,%;to .-remain' on - board - very long.' Tlle-me'at is'dischargcd into 'lighters or railway trucks. If the meat is . transferred to-lighterSrlthe-lattet-havo. to await full tide, when tliejr -are towed up river,..and the meat is taken .into the stores near l.thd. Southfield market, where it- ; remains until wanted for tli'e About '.midnight the meat intended for. Smithfield is carted tlier.e, 1 and by about. 4> o'clock in the morning the .carcasses are;on tlfe"hooks ready for the buyers. About fivo in .the mornjng selling .begins, and is kept 'gbiiTg untilsib6'3t-fhidday. The meat so.pur--chased is., immediately, carted . away to the. .Vctailers;-'shdps,''.and",soon finds its way, to the kitcheiis r?f ; - th;e:':cpnsuniers,-and so passes into, 'coiisumpfion..^v".. . , .''Thc;Vmeat.''that !ij.; discharged -into .the railway trublcs is. either* railed to the great, stores at the' Victoria Dock, ono mile away, or im-mediately-forwarded-to the provincial stores,, aiid'-placod'on. the-markets in quantities as .niay " bi,jeqtiirfd.. " The salesmen are; of course, as keen' as possiblo to. obtain'-the highest' prices, but values are regulated by siipply-'and 1 demand./ Just now there is a good- deal'of, Argentina mutton on;the m.ar.ket, ■w.hic!h. , .:ife'.?beiiig forced into consumption; at relatively . low prices. Argentina is having .a-i'good season, iand-is., sending forward a large -"quantity ot' ,i bdef • and mutton. 1 "To ' show the magnitude of the British meat /'trade,'--'it may'bo mentioned that; the daily average sales of meat in the Smithfield market.. alone .is .. approsimately 2500 cattle, 17,000 sheep,' and 2000 pigs. About half ot this is frozen and chilled, but tho percentage of-Now. Zealand beef, is infinitesimal, of mut'ton small,' wliile^it- ; -is'> considerable: m tho case of lambs—sufficient to determine tlio market prico of that class of meat. : ... -- Asked if there'were any . suggestions that lie Could make which would help the trade, Mr.; Goodsir said that it was > pity that there ■were, not fever-marks, or . brands on the meat. The'number of marks ; impeded discharge, be•cause'so~ much" time was taken up in ldcntiifvinz , the .-.brands. : An ; improvement in this, Vespect has-been. repeatedly urged but so far nothing'hii's been 'done. .