OUR PRODUCE IN ENGLAND

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 280, 7 August 1909, Page 3

OUR PRODUCE IN ENGLAND

TRICKS OF-THE MEAT TRADE. ' A. NEW ZEALAND VISITOR'S'OBSERVATIONS. (By-Tel<wfti>h.-6pi!cial Oorrcroondent.). .. ■u -m « Wirlstohuroh, August 6. Mr W. !R. May of Richmond, Nelson, who ■ has returned from a tour to England* ocotlandt and Franco, and is at"prescnt in' this district,'- told a "Press""reporter, th'at'he spent; Borne time in finding out .the tricks of the meat trade. Ho found after the" shipments had been cut up by syndicatefl and • companies, New Zealand ■■ • lamb was rnarked'm the retail shops' at' 'from lfld. tots. 3d/ per lb., ranged on the books not tar from Argentine mutton, : which l was marked down to 2d. per lb. In few instance. • did he find New Zealand, lamb or mutton sold as such. The retailers sold it as Homegrown Canterbury lamb or mutton. • Tho Canterbury meant being the English Canterbury. In one shop Mr. May observed one' or two carcasses of New Zealand mutton, ' the plumpness of which made it oarmsfcakable, but the tags had been removed, audi' that means of identification seemed kst. The; 1 shop, assistant was assuring,, Mr.' May it was.entirely.'Homc-fed, etc.,'and. the visitor?' was praising its fine quality when he' widely detwted the remains of a ticket with' ZL&ftt- X, the , ! ,e g i ™>n'i of the '. word Islington," and then ho mterwowedy the owner of the shop and .explained, mat-' ters. A friend with whom ho was stayingi in the country promised him a treat in thtf. shape of a prime joint of New Zealand mut. ton,.but encountered much difficulty m get--ting, exactly what he wanted,-' at any rW ' under the description given. Mr; May holds'' the opinion that the Dominion growers of" lamb and mutton should start retail shops' for a time as the best remedy for bringing' the Now Zealand meat before the Bntisb „ public, and, added Mr. May/" I think the AgenWJeneral- 13 of the opinion that, energetic steps' should be taken." - ; ,(.■...' Being interested very much in the butter •ItS a ?r ~avln 6 forty years experience of it, Mr..May.made it his business to try to solve the problem of what becomes of the- f best dairy-butter exported from hero. There; could be no doubt whatever that the butter offered for sale retail, as Mr. May proved «y/making' private purchases,- was not "pi/ the highest class, and Mb imbression. wa* thatJthe. best: butter with the least ■ age of moisture was purchased by the niar." garine maker's. /Some of the information which Mr. May gleaned, he thought, had', best not be told in cold print, but the dairy' factories, he considered, would be well advised if they undertook the sale of • theii. butter in retail stores. At one store where JlO purchased a lib. roll of Danish and'< New" Zealand respectively, the -.; counter-hand, who'• ' charged Is. 3d. for the > former;' and Is. 2d.v for;tho-latter, when asked "wherein the difference: of-.'price lay,- said ho'.prefssred tho New Zealand, but supposed it was the name Danish that made' the retail price .Id. per lb ■■ more; Mr.'May said ho did not'see why/' if certain firms named could-make 'a' gooddividend out .of: selling special .lines, a New '■'-. Zealand produce distributing company should not also get a handsome return.- -•• Referring to the High Commissioner'!!'-' chambers an London, Mr/Mav said the Victorian, New South Wales.. Western Aus--tralian, and Canadian Commissioners wire to bo found in one of tho principal thoroughfares, 'the .Strand,, while .the/New ofbeo.. was m a back street. The, attractions v or the other colonies' offices were • evident from the ■ interested /crowds ihat entered them or I inspected them from tho outside.ilie tralnc passing was.imense, but the New ' Zealand office and its attractions languished m a neglected neighbourhood. •'• '•■'•' • -