PREPARING MEAT FOR BRITAIN

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 111, 4 February 1941, Page 6

PREPARING MEAT FOR BRITAIN

A “Trimming” Test THE TRADE’S CASE AGAINST “TELESCOPING” (To the Editor.) Sir, —I was invited on Thursday last to give a demonstration of my trimming methods for meat exports at the Ngahauranga works. The demonstration was supervised by the officers of the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board aud the Departments of Agriculture and Marketing. The scope of the trial was as follows: (a) Storage capacity required for carcases in their pre-war style of preparation; (b) storage capacity required for careases in their present form (telescoped) ; (c) storage capacity required for carcases trimmed my method; (d) storage capacity required for carcases trimmed my method and then “telescoped.” The procedure adopted with the rail of 50 carcases vyas: (a) 15 carcases as hanging on rail (pre-war style); (b) 15 carcases as hanging, telescoped; (c) 10 carcases trimmed by my method; (d) 10 carcases trimmed by my method, then telescoped. I operated on the 20 carcases, trimmed, and took off approximately 4001 b.

The storage capacities of the four classes will be taken later on by departmental officers. But to satisfy myself (as I had never before tried out the “telescoping” of a trimmed carcase) we measured up (unofficially) several trial lots. Surprisingly the original “trimmed” earcase, came out an easy winner. The same carcase “telescoped” actually uses more space. This was most satisfactory as the “telescoping” system is anathema to anyone in the meat trade, wholesale or retail. To prove that point I enclose a cutting from the “British Meat Trades Journal,” of October 3, 1940.—1 am, etc., SAM S. TIMBS. Wanganui, February 1.

The cutting referred to contains the Journal’s report of a speech made by a member of the Manchester Food Control Committee to a general meeting of the Manchester and Salford Master Butchers’ Association, an organization representing 8,000,000 consumers. The speaker said: — “We are implored to avoid waste. That is a most vital thing at the present time. But the present system of distribution does make it a deal harder to butcher our meat as economically as in pre-war days. A clear example is the telescoping or cutting into two of imported lambs. It is no exaggeration to say that cutting in this way involves a waste of half a pound per earcase, which on lambs of an average weight of 301 b. means that one lamb in 60 is thrown away. “We know that the Government have done this to help shipping space, so that more Jambs could be brought over, but when you realize that, with an average pitch of 15,000 hard lambs per week for Manchester, 250 are lost, representing a definite loss to the butchers also of £3OO in money. If you estimate for the whole country 300,000 hard lambs, that involves the loss of 5000 lambs to consumption, and a financial loss of £6OOO. It is certainly a serious problem, and I do not think the Ministry of Food realize -the sacrifice that is being made in good food for the sake of putting a few more carcases on each boat. I should like to propose a resolution drawing attention to this appalling waste which neither the Meat Trade nor the Country as a whole can afford.”

At a later stage of the meeting, Mr. Stockdale moved :—“That the attention of the Ministry of Food be called to the colossal waste that the telescoping of imported sheep and lambs is causing, and urges that they revert to the system of whole carcasses for the shipment of lambs.” The resolution was carried unanimously.